00*  28  1925   ) 


BV  3790  .J77  1918 
Joseph,  Oscar  Loos,  1873- 
Essentials  of  evangelism 


ESSENTIALS  OF  EVANGELISM 
OSCAR  L.  JOSEPH 


ESSENTIALS 
EVANGELISM 


BY 


/ 


OSCAR  L.  JOSEPH 

AUTHOR  OF  "  THE  FAITH  AND  THE  FELLOWSHIP," 

"  PERSONAL  APPEALS  TO  SUNDAY 

SCHOOL  WORKERS,"  ETC. 


**  Speak  but  the  word!  the  Evangel  shall  awaken 
Life  in  the  lost,  the  hero  in  the  slave," 


NEW  YORK 
GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT,  1018, 
BY  GEORGE  H.  DORAN  COMPANY 


PRINTED  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OP  AMERICA 


TO  MY  FRIEND 

S.  PARKES  CADMAN,  D.D. 

▲  GREAT  PROPHET  OP  GRACE  AND  TRUTH 

WHO  COMBINES 

THE  PASSION  OF  THE  EVANGEL 

WITH  SPIRITUAL  INSIGHT 

AND  BROAD  CULTURE 


PREFACE 

WE  are  on  the  threshold  of  most  radical 
changes  touching  every  phase  of  thought 
and  life.  New  and  better  ideals  are 
about  to  appear  out  of  the  clash  of  competing 
nations  and  armies.  We  shall  soon  find  ourselves 
in  a  new  world,  when  the  acid  test  of  real  fitness 
will  be  searchingly  applied  to  every  institution. 
The  severe  sifting  will  leave  only  the  gold  of 
genuine  worth.  It  will  glisten  with  greater  re- 
splendence and  be  diligently  sought  after  by 
earnest  souls,  who  have  survived  the  terrible 
ordeal  of  suffering  and  loss.  The  church  will  not 
escape  this  fiery  trial.  But  I  am  confident  that 
the  church  of  Jesus  Christ  is  competent  to  meet 
the  urgent  demands  of  the  new  day.  Some  of  the 
ways  in  which  this  should  be  done  is  indicated  in 
this  book.  It  is  a  discussion  of  the  dynamics  of 
evangelism,  whose  purpose  is  to  reconstruct  so- 
ciety by  changing  the  individual,  so  that  his  look 
inward  in  penitence,  will  enable  him  to  look  up- 
ward to  God  in  confidence,  and  then  look  outward 
to  men  with  enthusiasm,  for  the  service  of  the 
kingdom  of  God,  in  the  interest  of  worldwide 
democracy  and  fraternity. 

0.  L.  J. 


^'»- 


CONTENTS 

CHAPTER 

I. 

The  Evangel 

PAOK 

13 

II. 

Thf,  Hebalds 

241^ 

III. 

The  Supeeme  Unction 

35 

IV. 

The  Centeal  Peacticb 

46 

V. 

The  Holy  Passion 

57 

VI. 

Religious  Conveesation     . 

67 

VII. 

The  Peesonal  Touch 

.      79 

VIII. 

"j^LL  AT  It  and  Always  at  It" 

.      90 

IX. 

The  Needed  Revival    ... 

.     103^ 

X. 

The  Indispensable  Book    . 

.     117 

XI. 

The  Evangelistic  Teachbk 

.     131 1' 

XII. 

The  Peesuasive  Pbeachee 

.     142 

XTTT. 

Thinking  Theough     . 

.     154 

ESSENTIALS  OF  EVANGELISM 


ESSENTIALS  OF  EVANGELISM 

CHAPTER  ONE 

THE  EVANGEL 

THE  emphasis  on  spiritual  things  is  one  of 
the  striking  by-products  of  the  war.  But 
it  is  a  significant  fact  that  much  of  this 
emphasis  is  seen  outside  organised  Christianity. 
At  the  outbreak;  of  the  war  many  turned  to  the 
churches  for  relief  but  were  disappointed,  and  so 
their  restless  spirits  went  elsewhere  for  consola- 
tion. The  popularity  of  spiritualism,  crystal- 
gazing  and  other  cults  is  a  decided  sign  of  the 
times.  So  far  as  these  persons  are  concerned,  the 
church  failed  to  give  a  searching  and  satisfying 
message.  It  was  moreover  regarded  by  many  as 
having  gone  into  spiritual  bankruptcy.  This  is 
all  the  more  deplorable  because  the  church  was 
organised  for  the  precise  purpose  of  bringing  men 
into  fellowship  with  the  living  God  and  of  enabling 
them  to  realise  the  brotherhood  of  all  believers 
through  Jesus  Christ.  We  have  turned  away 
from  the  essential  truth  and  have  busied  ourselves 
with  side-issues.  We  have  struggled  to  maintain 
the  organisation  by  a  series  of  checkmating  in  a 

13 


14  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

spirit  of  competition  and  suspicion,  in  sheer  neg- 
lect of  the  primary  aim  of  the  church's  mission. 
Bishop  Brent,  in  a  memorable  sermon  at  St. 
Paul's,  London,  declared:  *^A  large  part  of  the 
public  has  already  issued  notice  on  the  churches 
that  unless  we  observe  the  elementary  principles 
of  peaceableness  and  fairness  and  fellowship,  they 
will  get  on  without  us."  The  loss  that  will  follow 
from  such  a  separation  must  needs  be  irreparable. 
The  time  has  surely  come  for  the  church  to  take 
an  inventory  and  learn  what  is  absolutely  essen- 
tial for  its  effective  task  in  the  all-round  redemp- 
tion of  the  individual,  of  society  and  of  humanity. 
This  investigation  will  surely  bring  enrichment. 
What  is  the  conspicuous  message  of  the  church? 
It  is  the  same  with  which  it  began  its  militant 
career.  It  is  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ  the  Son 
of  God.  This  is  not  a  declaration  of  propositions 
but  the  proclamation  of  a  living  person  of  excep- 
tional power  and  incomparable  grace.  He  is  the 
ideal  man — Jesus,  who  shows  us  the  way  of  life 
and  truth.  He  is  the  chosen  man — the  anointed 
Christ,  who  is  ever  present  with  us  as  we  scale 
the  sunlit  summits  to  God,  to  enter  the  divine 
presence  in  the  enjoyment  of  forgiveness.  He  is 
the  filial  man — Son  of  God  in  a  unique  sense,  who 
offers  us  also  the  privilege  of  communion  with 
God  in  the  experience  of  sonship.  He  is,  finally 
the  fraternal  man,  who  bears  the  suffering  human 
race  upon  his  heart  and  summons  everyone  with 


The  Evangel  15 


the  winsome  invitation:  ^^Come  unto  me,  all  ye 
that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give 
you  rest.''  The  burden  of  the  apostolic  evangel 
was  Jesus  Christ  *^  Strong  Son  of  God,  immortal 
love,''  who  alone  is  capable  of  interpreting  and 
supplying  our  divers  needs.  Eecall  some  of  the 
sentences  which  utter  the  central  and  recurring 
theme  of  apostle  and  disciple.  *^In  none  other 
is  there  salvation."  ^^ Through  his  name  every 
one  that  believeth  on  him  shall  receive  remission 
of  sins."  *^ Believe  on  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  thou 
shalt  be  saved."  ^^ Other  foundation  can  no  man 
lay  than  that  which  is  laid,  which  is  Jesus  Christ." 
* '  There  is  therefore  now  no  condemnation  to  them 
that  are  in  Christ  Jesus."  ^* Faithful  is  the  say- 
ing, and  worthy  of  all  acceptation,  that  Jesus 
Christ  came  into  the  world  to  save  sinners."  **Ye 
were  redeemed  with  precious  blood,  even  the  blood 
of  Christ."  ^^He  was  manifested  to  take  away 
sins ;  and  in  him  is  no  sin. ' '  Turn  wherever  you 
will  in  the  New  Testament  and  you  meet  with  one 
continuous  and  convincing  testimony  that  to  Jesus 
Christ  was  given  all  the  affection  and  devotion  of 
the  whole  church.  His  prophetic  declaration:  *'I, 
if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  myself," 
was  heartily  accepted  without  the  slightest  hint  of 
dissension.  Those  who  were  drawn  to  him  set 
their  seal  that  he  is  the  unique  Saviour,  while 
others  who  rejected  him  thereby  showed  their  dis- 
approval of  his  character  of  holiness,  his  cross 


1 6  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

of  sacrifice,  his  gospel  of  redemption  and  his  claim 
of  authority.  In  doing  so,  they  only  exposed  their 
own  inability  to  fathom  the  gracious  counsels  and 
purposes  of  God,  who  ^*so  loved  the  world,  that 
he  gave  his  only  begotten  son,  that  whosoever 
believeth  on  him  should  not  perish,  but  have 
eternal  life.''  Well  might  Bishop  Henson  say: 
**  Remove  Christ  from  the  central  place  and  the 
temple  of  religion  is  not  only  empty  but  ruined." 
Jesus  Christ  is  the  only  adequate  evangel  for  our 
present  day  of  depressing  confusion,  of  subtle  sin- 
fulness, of  heartbreaking  anguish,  of  irreparable 
loss. 
^  It  is  true  that  he  laid  the  emphasis  on  the  king- 
.  dom  of  God.  But  we  cannot  infer,  as  some  do, 
that  the  apostles  were  mistaken  when  they  sub- 
stituted the  King  for  the  Kingdom.  Jesus  re- 
peatedly drew  the  attention  of  his  hearers  to  him- 
self and  compelled  them  to  reckon  with  him. 
*^ Follow  me";  ^^Come  unto  me";  ^^He  that  is 
not  with  me  is  against  me";  ^^ Whosoever  loveth 
father  or  mother  more  than  me  is  not  worthy  of 
me";  are  clear  and  forceful  utterances  which  per- 
mit of  only  one  meaning.  After  his  disciples  had 
sojourned  with  him  for  a  season,  he  questioned 
them  searchingly:  *'Whom  say  ye  that  I  am?" 
If  they  failed  to  understand  him  and  to  give  him 
the  first  place,  there  was  little  hope  of  their  being 
able  to  press  his  claims  on  others  and  to  secure 
their  implicit  submission  to  him.    The  synoptic 


The  Evangel  17 


gospels  agree  with  the  gospel  of  John  in  this 
respect.  Indeed,  the  four  taken  together  consti- 
tute a  composite  portrait  of  Jesus,  clear  in  its 
features  and  compelling  in  its  appeal.  The  dis- 
tinctive qualities  of  the  gospels  enrich  the  signifi- 
cance of  their  unity.  Mark  writes  of  the  strength 
of  the  Servant  of  God;  Matthew,  of  the  sacrifice 
of  the  Anointed  of  God ;  Luke,  of  the  sympathy  of 
the  Man  of  God ;  John,  of  the  sublime  spirituality 
of  the  Son  of  God.  And  yet  these  traits  are  not 
exclusive  in  each  of  the  memoirs  but  appear  in  all 
four.  The  several  epistles,  moreover,  interpret 
and  apply  the  truth  of  the  gospel  records.  When 
therefore  we  hear  the  cry,  *^Back  to  Christ,^'  we 
accept  it  on  condition  that  it  is  back  to  the  Christ 
of  the  entire  New  Testament,  whose  testimony 
is  consistent,  without  any  disparity  or  evasion. 
When  we  think  of  him  as  the  living  Christ,  the 
more  appropriate  summons  should  be  **  Forward 
to  Christ,'^  who  stands  at  the  parting  of  the  ways 
and  calls  us  to  follow  him  and  turn  away  from 
the  slippery  paths  which  slope  down  to  hell.  Hear 
him  and  find  peace. 

The  three  great  words  of  the  gospel  are  life, 
light  and  love.  They  strikingly  set  forth  the  dis- 
tinctive character  of  God.  He  is  life,  even  the 
source  and  fountain  of  it,  in  whom  we  live  and 
move  and  have  our  being.  He  is  light ,  who  re- 
veals himself  in  gracious  self -communication,  with 
whom  we  realise  the  blessedness  of  fellowship. 


1 8  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

He  is  love  whereby  he  exhibits  his  supreme  pas- 
sion in  equity  and  benignity  for  the  benefit  of 
whosoever  will.  These  sublime  ideas  found  ex- 
pression in  the  person  of  Jesus  Christ,  who  re- 
flected God's  bright  glory  and  was  stamped  with 
God's  own  character.  *'In  Jesus  the  chasm  be- 
tween God  and  man  has  closed  up ;  in  our  search 
for  God  we  have  at  last  arrived;  there  is  no  be- 
yond to  torment  our  tired  and  aching  souls;  no 
sense  of  a  distance  yet  to  be  traversed,  of  a 
separating  river  yet  to  be  crossed."  So  writes 
Principal  E.  Griffith-Jones  in  his  refreshing  book 
on  '^ Faith  and  Immortality.''  For  years  Chris- 
tian people  have  lived  without  any  vital  relation- 
ship to  the  future  life,  and  many  even  declared 
that  both  God  and  immortality  were  of  small 
significance.  The  war  has  shown  the  folly  of 
such  an  attitude.  Eager  souls  are  craving  for 
assurance  concerning  the  destiny  of  their  loved 
ones  who  have  fallen  in  *^No  Man's  Land,"  and 
at  other  places  on  the  war  front.  How  timely  is 
the  message  of  him  who  is  the  resurrection  and 
the  life.  He  tells  us  that  since  God  is  our  Father 
and  we  have  the  experience  of  his  presence  now 
with  us,  the  incident  of  death  cannot  violate  nor 
destroy  our  relationship.  Indeed,  our  assurance 
of  immortality  is  based  on  the  personality  of 
Christ,  who  is  supreme  in  the  moral  and  spiritual 
world.  His  companionship  with  us  shall  never  be 
broken  by  the  event  of  death. 


The  Evangel  19 


"  God  is !  Christ  loves !  Christ  lives ! 
And  by  his  own  returning  gives 
Sure  pledge  of  immortality. 
The  first-fruits — He;   and  we — 
The  harvest  of  his  victory. 
The  life  beyond  shall  this  life  far  transcend, 
And  death  is  the  beginning — not  the  end." 

The  idea  of  God  as  love,  so  richly  illuminated 
in  the  life  of  Jesus,  makes  for  the  large  enrich- 
ment of  human  life.  The  trappings  of  time,  the 
adornments  of  princes,  the  honours  of  govern- 
ments— what  are  they  of  themselves  but  so  many 
empty  favours !  They  sit  well  only  on  those  who 
have  the  character  of  Christlikeness,  which  is  the 
first  and  final  test  of  genuine  worth.  Jesus  scan- 
dalised the  aristocracy  of  his  day  because  he 
discarded  the  cast-iron  distinctions  of  society. 
He  cared  neither  for  the  glamour  of  riches  nor 
for  the  gloom  of  poverty.  The  outcast  and  the 
fallen  both  found  in  him  a  friend.  His  sympathy 
was  so  unusually  generous,  in  word  and  deed,  that 
various  classes  and  nationalities  were  won.  The 
Eoman  centurion,  the  Samaritans  of  Sychar  and 
the  Syrophenician ;  the  publican,  the  Magdalene 
and  the  outcast  of  every  type  found  a  welcome  in 
his  healing  company.  In  every  age,  the  labouring 
man  and  the  professional  man,  the  Oriental  and 
the  Occidental,  the  pious  and  the  impious,  have 
been  ennobled  by  him,  who  has  more  than  fulfilled 
their  most  ardent  expectations.  Under  the  in- 
fluence of  Jesus,  the  early  church  received  this 


20  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

true  view  of  the  human  race.  Room  was  made 
for  the  slave  by  the  side  of  his  master.  Both 
enjoyed  equal  privileges.  It  meant  a  great  deal 
when  Paul  the  aristocrat  and  Onesimus  the  run- 
away slave  fraternised  with  each  other.  It  was 
this  apostle  who  declared  in  explicit  terms  that 
where  Christ  is  supremely  recognised,  *^  there  can- 
not be  Greek  and  Jew,  circumcision  and  uncircum- 
cision,  barbarian,  Scythian,  bondman,  freeman; 
but  Christ  is  all  and  in  all. ' ' 

The  evangel  teaches  the  love  of  man  as  man, 
regardless  of  class,  caste  or  country.  In  the  days 
of  the  church's  romance  when  it  honestly  accepted, 
in  scorn  of  consequence,  the  principle  of  a  common 
fraternity,  there  was  power  in  its  midst.  It 
wielded  an  influence  even  to  the  undermining  of 
empires  and  the  enthroning  of  righteousness  and 
truth.  Of  course,  its  members  were  exposed  to  the 
contempt  of  the  literati  and  the  hostility  of  the 
elite  of  every  nation  who  regarded  them  as  ^*  crazy 
and  credulous  fanatics  and  as  an  abomination  to 
society.''  But  none  of  these  things  moved  them, 
for  they  had  the  witness  within.  The  passport 
into  recognition  and  honour  was  the  Christlike 
character  and  not  the  affluent  circumstances.  We 
are  being  told  that  the  spirit  of  democracy  should 
universally  prevail.  It  is  only  as  the  rights  of 
individuals  are  mutually  respected  that  we  can 
overcome  race  and  class  hatreds  with  their  violent 
reprisals.     ^^Our  gospel  is  not  the  survival  of  the 


The  Evangel  21 


fit  but  the  revival  of  the  unfit.''  The  missionary 
is  demonstrating  this  on  the  foreign  field,  where 
distance  lends  enchantment  to  the  truth.  We  are 
doubtless  glad  to  read  about  the  awakening  of 
China  and  the  conversion  to  Christ  of  its  peoples ; 
but  how  much  do  we  care  about  speaking  a  word 
for  Christ  to  the  Chinese  laundryman  in  our 
own  town?  If  he  were  really  to  attend  our 
church  services,  some  pious  folk  would  surely  be 
scandalised. 

The  ideas  of  immortality,  equality  and  fra- 
ternity are  found  in  the  evangel  of  Christ.  They 
can  be  actualised  in  daily  living  only  as  Christ 
takes  control  of  the  mind,  the  conscience,  the  heart 
and  the  will  of  those  who  call  themselves  Chris- 
tians. Such  a  course  will  doubtless  have  uncom- 
fortable consequences;  but  there  is  no  other 
alternative  if  the  church  is  to  secure  a  hold  on 
human  life  in  the  service  of  individual  and  social 
redemption.  We  think  of  Jesus  as  the  sin- 
revealing,  sin-expiating,  sin-destroying  Christ. 
This  evangel  is  in  the  custody  of  the  church, 
although  the  church  has  not  taken  possession  of 
it,  to  the  extent  of  letting  it  have  the  right  of 
way  and  compelling  other  issues  to  step  aside. 

(a)  Sin  is  the  one  sinister  fact  of  human  life. 
It  has  had  divers  forms  but  the  results  have  ever 
been  tragic.  The  foul  pollutions  of  the  first  Chris- 
tian century  can  be  duplicated  by  the  no  less  fatal 
corruptions  of  the  twentieth  century.     Wliat  the 


22  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

Bible  says  of  sin  and  its  serpentine  subtlety  is 
endorsed  by  the  conscience  of  humanity.  It  is  so 
humiliating  a  menace  because  it  not  only  alienates 
man  from  God  but  also  introduces  the  demoniac 
elements  of  suspicion  and  hostility  among  men 
and  interferes  with  progress  in  the  arts  and  crafts 
of  life.  The  penalties  of  sin  are  both  sharp  and 
devouring.  Jesus  has  shown,  as  no  other,  that  sin 
is  an  inexcusable  act  making  the  sinner  blame- 
worthy and  guilty.  No  one  can  plead  that  it  was 
inevitable  and  so  find  relief  for  his  troubled 
conscience.  In  the  presence  of  the  sin-revealing 
One,  there  is  a  sifting  process.  The  best  and 
noblest  of  men  acknowledge  their  failure.  Some 
of  their  confessions  are  of  classic  value.  However 
much  we  may  disagree  with  their  psychology,  the 
mirror  is  held  up  to  our  lives  by  such  searching 
utterances  as  the  Psalms,  the  Confessions  of 
Augustine,  The  Imitation  of  Christ,  Grace 
Abounding  to  the  Chief  of  Sinners,  the  Apologia 
of  Newman,  My  Confession  by  Tolstoy. 

(b)  It  is  this  fact  of  a  stainless  life  that  has 
enabled  Jesus  to  become  the  sin-expiating  One. 
We  need  not  stop  to  discuss  any  theory  of  the 
atonement.  It  is  enough  to  know  that  the  sacri- 
fice of  the  Just  for  the  unjust  has  verily  brought 
many  to  God,  who  never  could  otherwise  have 
been  reconciled.  You  cannot  understand  the 
grace  of  the  evangel  and  the  unfailing  love  of 
God,  until  you  face  Calvary  and  bow  in  penitence 


The  Evangel  23 


before  Christus  Reconciliator,  who  for  us  men  and 
for  our  salvation  trod  the  wine-press  alone. 

(c)  Far  more  important  than  any  theory  is 
the  exultant  testimony  of  a  multitude  whom  no 
man  can  number,  who  have  the  glowing  experience 
of  being  delivered  from  evil  and  becoming  free 
from  the  trammels  of  sinful  appetites  and  pas- 
sions. 

Our  evangel  then  is  the  good  tidings  of  Jesus 
Christ,  who  generously  and  opulently  redeems 
men  from  the  fatal  dominance  of  sin,  and  delivers 
them  from  the  depths  of  despair,  and  saves 
them  from  the  peril  of  passion,  and  guides  them 
with  ever  deepening  consecration  towards  the 
splendor  of  light,  the  fulness  of  life  and  the  per- 
fection of  love  in  God. 

"Not  what,  but  Whom  I  do  believe, 

That  in  my  darkest  hour  of  need, 

Hath  comfort  that  no  mortal  creed 

To  mortal  man  may  give; — 
Not  what,  but  Whom! 

For   Christ   is  more   than  all   the  creeds, 

And  his  full  life  of  gentle  deeds 

Shall  all  the  creeds  outlive. 
Not  what  I  do  believe  but  Whom! 

Who  walks  beside  me  in  the  gloom? 

Who  shares  the  burden  wearisome? 

Who  all  the  dim  way  doth  illume, 

And  bids  me  look  beyond  the  tomb 

The  larger  life  to  live? — 
Not  what  I  do  believe, 
But  Whom!  "» 

*Bees  in  Amher,  by  John  Oxenham.  American  Tract  Society, 
New  York,  N.  Y. 


CHAPTER  TWO 


THE    HEEALDS 


WE  are  witnessing  to-day  a  repetition  of 
the  state  of  society  in  the  first  century. 
The  world  in  which  the  first  apostles  of 
Jesus  began  their  work  was  one  of  moral  chaos, 
spiritual  destitution  and  social  upheaval.  Pagan 
religions  had  failed  to  exert  any  potent  influence 
on  morals.  In  spite  of  the  systems  of  faith  which 
were  exalted  and  held  in  high  repute,  the  spirit 
of  man  felt  crushed  and  distracted.  The  ex- 
tremes of  society — the  rich  and  the  poor — were 
living  without  the  motives  of  purity  and  nobility. 
The  great  middle  class  was  in  a  healthier  state 
but  there  was  nothing  to  brag  about.  The  note 
of  discord  and  unrest  was  seen  on  every  hand. 

"  The  world  was  sinking  in  a  slough 
Of  sloth  and  ease  and  selfish  greed.'* 

In  many  respects  we  are  better  favoured  than 
the  early  Christians.  We  have  the  testimony 
of  the  centuries  during  which  Christ  has  made 
his  appeal  and  turned  multitudes  to  him.  This 
fact  of  history  must  be  reckoned  with.  Just  as 
the  scientist  and  philosopher  take  note  of  previous 
investigations  in  their  departments,  so  the  in- 

24 


The  Heralds  25 


fluence  of  Christ  during  the  past  must  be  regarded 
as  an  invaluable  factor  in  the  solution  of  our 
problem  how  to  win  the  world  for  him.  The 
closing  verse  in  the  gospel  of  Mark  reads: 
**They  went  forth  and  preached  everywhere,  the 
Lord  working  with  them  and  confirming  the  word 
by  the  signs  that  followed.'*  The  book  of  Acts 
richly  illustrates  the  ways  in  which  this  was  done. 
The  narrative  shares  the  glow  of  the  movement. 
It  was  a  company  of  devoted  men  and  women  who 
undertook  the  business  of  magnifying  the  name  of 
Jesus  Christ.  Opposition  and  persecution  only 
stimulated  their  activities.  After  the  martyrdom 
of  Stephen,  the  opponents  of  the  gospel  increased 
their  fiery  hostility  and  undertook  a  systematic 
campaign  of  assault  so  that  many  were  compelled 
to  leave  Jerusalem.  *^They  therefore  that  were 
scattered  abroad  went  about  preaching  the  word.'' 
The  reference!  is  to  the  rank  and  file  of  the  dis- 
ciples who  realised  their  obligation  as  mission- 
aries. One  conspicuous  result  was  the  capture  of 
Antioch  for  Christ.  This  city  at  once  became  the 
centre  of  a  notable  evangelistic  and  missionary 
campaign.  These  earnest  Christians  threw  them- 
selves heart  and  soul  into  the  movement.  The 
loyalty  of  love  for  Jesus  so  fired  their  lives  that 
their  faith  was  spread  in  the  very  act  of  living. 
They  themselves  were  the  most  vital  part  of  their 
testimony.  In  the  words  of  Bishop  Westcott. 
they  were  ^*a  living  Gospel,  a  message  of  God's 


26  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

good-will  to  those  with  whom  they  lived  and  suf- 
fered." They  took  with  them  an  experience  and 
not  a  theory ;  they  proclaimed  a  person  and  not  a 
doctrine.  It  was  therefore  impossible  to  suppress 
them.  Peter  voiced  their  sentiments  when  he  said 
to  the  Jewish  Council:  **We  cannot  but  speak  the 
things  which  we  have  seen  and  heard."  Silence 
was  out  of  the  question  and  their  influence  pene- 
trated near  and  far,  enabling  them  to  score  unpre- 
cedented triumphs  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 
The  evangel  of  redemption  was  worthily  pro- 
claimed. Their  preaching  of  purity  was  consist- 
ently supported  by  their  practise  of  it.  The  water 
of  life  did  not  flow  through  rusty  pipes;  it  was 
therefore  sweet  and  refreshing.  The  Sanhedrin, 
before  whom  Peter  and  John  appeared  to  answer 
charges,  were  impressed  by  the  boldness  of  these 
men.  Their  behaviour  recalled  that  of  their 
Master,  whose  calmness  and  courage  some  of  them 
had  witnessed.  *'And  they  took  knowledge  of 
them  that  they  had  been  with  Jesus."  Herein  is 
the  splendour  and  power  of  the  Christian  life,  that 
it  is  patterned  after  Jesus,  whose  possessing  spirit 
reproduces  in  his  followers  the  unique  traits  of 
character  which  were  so  distinctive  of  our  Saviour 
and  Lord.  What  he  was  in  such  sublime  grace, 
they  also  can  become  by  faith  in  him.  ^^  Jesus 
Christ  shows  us  in  living  definition  what  the 
Christian  ought  to  be."  The  Apostolic  Church 
was  fully  persuaded  of  this  truth,  and  had  the 


The  Heralds  27 


courage  to  accept  it  for  themselves  as  well  as  to 
commend  it  to  others.  These  living  epistles  were 
more  intelligible  and  persuasive  than  the  written 
ones.  What  counted  most  was  not  the  argument 
of  logic  but  the  appeal  of  life ;  not  the  declaration 
of  a  creed  but  the  exhibition  of  a  character.  Their 
glowing  experience  of  the  grace  of  Jesus  gave 
them  the  consciousness  of  his  forgiveness.  The 
conviction  of  his  redeeming  love  thus  induced 
them  to  make  consecration  of  their  lives  to  him, 
who  in  his  own  person  had  brought  to  them  free- 
dom from  moral  slavery,  redemption  from  spirit- 
ual bondage  and  relief  from  social  pressure. 
Since  then  Jesus  Christ  has  ever  remained  the 
central  fact  in  the  life  of  the  world,  regarded  with 
eagerness  by  some,  with  confusion  by  others,  but 
with  satisfaction  by  all  who  have  accepted  him. 

"Sweetest  note  in  seraph's  song, 
Sweetest  name  on  mortal  tongue, 
Sweetest  carol  ever  sung, 
Jesus!  blessed  Jesus! 

The  Christian  experience  was  something  unique 
in  the  first  century.  It  is  even  so  to-day  although 
we  are  familiar  with  its  features.  It  has  never 
failed  to  secure  a  favourable  verdict  for  the 
Christ,  who  has  received  the  allegiance  of  the 
highest  reason  and  the  most  enlightened  con- 
science of  every  age  and  land.  The  same  is  true 
of  lesser  grades  of  intelligence.  We  think  of  such 
extreme  cases  as  are  cited  in  ** Twice  Born  Men'' 


28  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

by  Begbie  and  *^The  Everlasting  Mercy''  by 
Masefield,  and  it  makes  us  grateful  to  know  that 
the  power  of  the  living  Saviour  is  effective  among 
men  who  have  lapsed  into  the  moral  depths. 
Those  who  were  not  so  desperately  alienated  from 
God  have  also  been  reconciled  and  brought  into 
filial  relations  with  the  Heavenly  Father.  It  is 
through  Jesus  Christ  that  they  have  all  been  able 
to  find  themselves  and  to  realise  the  best  for  them 
in  the  purpose  of  redemption.  *^The  saved  soul, 
if  saved  in  Love's  name,"  writes  Boyce  Gibson, 
**must  itself  become  a  saviour;  for  the  spiritual 
life,  as  Love  conceives  it,  is  by  nature  self-com- 
municative, invasive,  redemptive."  It  is  not 
enough  to  rejoice  in  the  promise  of  the  gospel, 
which  is  forgiveness ;  we  must  also  rejoice  in  the 
pressure  of  the  gospel,  which  is  fidelity  to  Christ 
in  making  him  known.  We  shall  then  be  able  to 
exult  in  the  power  of  the  gospel  which  has  saved 
unto  the  uttermost  and  will  continue  to  do  so. 

Here  then  we  are  confronted  by  the  all-im- 
portant question  of  personality.  Wliat  is  this 
but  character  which  is  the  result,  of  a  series  of 
practices  and  habits  quietly  and  diligently  pur- 
sued in  the  obscure  routine  and  daily  grind  of 
life.  A  full  heart  will  act  with  spontaneity,  cor- 
diality and  generosity.  Such  a  beautiful  spirit 
which  manifests  itself  in  deeds  is  due  to  that 
subtle  and  evasive  but  very  real  thing  known  as 
a  redeemed  and  consecrated  personality.     The 


The  Heralds  29 


spirit  of  love  accepts  no  limits  and  its  fruitage  is 
both  versatile  and  abundant.  .  We  think  of  love  as 
the  clear  illuminator,  the  strong  liberator,  the 
complete  transformer  of  life  in  every  condition, 
of  weal  or  of  woe.  We  do  not  think  of  it  merely 
as  an  emotion,  although  even  so  it  has  been  the 
bringer  of  untold  blessing  to  the  human  race, 
through  parenthood,  filial  devotion,  patriotism, 
and  the  myriad  forms  in  which  it  has  found  ex- 
pression. There  is  no  need  to  apologise  for  emo- 
tionalism. As  Professor  Coe  has  well  said  in 
^^The  Eeligion  of  a  Mature  Mind'':  ''We  are 
suffering  not  from  excess  of  emotion  in  religion, 
but  rather  from  too  little  emotion,  from  the  nar- 
rowness of  our  emotional  range,  and  especially 
from  neglect  of  the  more  robust  emotions."  He 
further  states  that:  "Three  great  changes  are 
coming  over  the  practical  life  of  Jesus'  disciples. 
First,  the  Christian  life  is  being  simplified; 
second,  its  ideals  are  being  socialised;  third,  its 
motives  are  being  intensified.  The  substitution 
of  a  simple  for  a  complex  creed  appears  at  first 
sight  to  imply  sacrifice  of  truth,  but  in  the  end 
we  discover  that  what  we  have  lost  in  the  range 
of  our  pretensions  we  have  gained  in  the  stability 
of  our  faith.  Similarly,  the  abandonment  of  a 
scheme  of  rules  in  favour  of  a  simple  principle  or 
motive  appears  like  letting  go  something  of 
virtue,  but  we  find  that  it  is  progress  from  letter 
to  spirit,  from  that  which  kills  to  that  which  makes 


30  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

,.iive.  Simplification  of  the  issues  of  life,  more- 
over, makes  it  harder  for  us  to  dodge  them,  or  to 
thin  out  our  consecration.''  This  is  really  a  re- 
turn to  the  New  Testament  standard  of  thought 
and  life.  When  we  read  of  the  advances  of  that 
early  century,  telling  of  comprehensiveness  and 
progress  due  to  the  influence  of  Christ-filled  per- 
sonalities, let  us  not  doubt  the  veracity  of  the 
record  but  take  it  at  its  face  value,  as  it  points  out 
to  us  the  better  course  that  we  should  follow. 

There  are  several  things  which  stand  out  in  the 
life  of  the  early  Christians  which  may  well  be 
followed  by  modern  Christians.  They  were  in- 
tensely in  earnest  and  were  fully  swayed  by  their 
convictions.  A  man  who  is  sincere  even  though 
he  may  be  mistaken,  has  a  better  chance  of  per- 
suading people  than  the  other  who  is  lukewarm, 
although  he  may  be  in  possession  of  God's  truth. 
Earnestness  is  single-mindedness  of  purpose 
which  says  *^This  one  thing  I  do"  and  therefore 
subordinates  everything  else  to  it.  It  is  not  dif- 
ficult to  know  where  such  a  person  stands.  He 
is  never  on  the  fence  and  under  no  circumstance 
will  he  compromise  if  principle  is  at  stake.  He 
realises  the  seriousness  of  the  issues  and  is  ever 
intent  on  duty  in  season  and  out  of  season.  "Who 
can  turn  down  such  an  individual  or  resist  the 
winsomeness  of  his  speech  and  action?  There  is 
nothing  of  the  fanatic  in  such  behaviour  but  a 
sober  reasonableness,  like  that  shown  by  Paul 


The  Heralds  31 


when  he  argued  with  Felix  about  righteousness, 
self-mastery  and  the  future  judgment,  and  when 
on  a  different  occasion  he  appealed  to  Agrippa, 
wishing  from  the  depths  of  his  being  that  the  king 
himself  might  also  become  a  Christian. 

Another  quality  which  invariably  accompanies 
earnestness  is  certainty.  It  was  not  sinking 
ground  on  which  they  stood,  for  they  had  the 
assurance  of  experience  that  **  Other  foundation 
can  no  man  lay  than  that  which  is  laid,  which  is 
Jesus  Christ/'  There  was  the  note  of  finality 
permitting  of  no  denial  nor  dispute  that  '  ^  In  none 
other  is  there  salvation;  for  neither  is  there  any 
other  name  under  heaven,  that  is  given  among 
men,  wherein  we  must  be  saved.''  This  consen- 
tient testimony  of  many  witnesses  could  hardly  be 
challenged  with  any  chancei  of  its  being  refuted. 
Principal  P.  T.  Forsyth  once  said  that  the  ancient 
prophet  responded  to  the  summons  with  the  quick 
answer  **Here  am  I!"  But  the  modern  prophet 
speaks  out  of  confusion  and  despair,  and  asks: 
** Where  am  I?"  Such  an  attitude  of  doubt  and 
perplexity  can  never  accomplish  much.  It  was 
Phillips  Brooks  who  counselled,  saying:  *^Be  sure 
of  God  and  yourself  and  of  the  love  between  your 
soul  and  his,  and  then  shrink  from  no  changeful- 
ness,  cling  to  no  present,  be  ready  for  new  skies, 
new  tasks,  new  truths. ' '  Such  confidence  did  they 
of  the  first  century  have. 

There  was  thus  begotten  in  them  the  spirit  of 


32  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

joy  which  was  full  of  gladness  and  glory.  It 
charmed  away  their  despair  and  weariness;  it 
worked  like  a  spell  over  souls  diseased  and  per- 
plexed by  sin;  it  was  a  precious  cordial  when 
borne  down  by  the  weight  of  care  and  trouble. 
The  voice  of  song  from  the  heart,  the  witness  to 
joy  from  the  depths,  the  temper  of  peace  in  truth, 
will  do  more  to  convince  the  world  of  the  power 
of  the  evangel,  which  is  truly  good  news,  than  any 
other  seemingly  strong  arguments.  Joy  will 
further  dispel  worry,  which  William  James 
defined  as  ^^fearthought  as  distinct  from  fore- 
thought." It  will  also  give  the  restful  disposi- 
tion which  is  so  unlike  the  fret  and  strain  and 
humid  distemper  of  much  modern  Christianity. 

Joy  is  of  such  consequence  because  it  quickens 
enthusiasm.  This  is  the  spirit  of  buoyancy  and 
optimism,  of  indomitable  faith  and  unyielding 
vitality.  This  it  is  that  inspires  and  impels  us 
and  hastens  us  on  to  victory.  This  is  the  spirit 
which  has  purified  the  spirit  and  enlightened  the 
vision  of  those  who  made  great  ventures  on  God 
and  who  enlisted  on  stalwart  adventures  for  God. 
Hence  they  were  aggressive  and  bold  to  take 
initiative  in  making  the  approach  to  the  needy 
soul.  When  we  think  of  so  many  who  are  un- 
churched and  indifferent,  and  even  resentful  and 
hostile,  it  is  clear  that  they  can  be  won,  if  at  all, 
only  by  those  who  are  endowed  with  a  large 
supply  of  enthusiasm,  that  wavers  not  but  which 


The  Heralds  33 


increases  in  endurance  through  patience.  ^^The 
church  lives,''  says  W.  Robertson  Nicoll,  ^^only 
by  capture,  by  booty,  by  winning  over  from  the 
world  the  citizens  that  make  her  numbers.'' 
Donald  Hankey  in  one  of  his  last  papers  wrote: 
* '  There  is  only  one  way  to  win  men  to  Christ,  and 
that  is  to  show  to  them  something  of  his  love,  and 
humility,  and  quiet  strength,  and  humorous  com- 
monsense,  his  distrust  of  the  efficacy  of  human 
aids  to  success,  and  his  quiet  confidence  in  the 
power  of  love  and  truth."  Saul  Kane  in  *^The 
Everlasting  Mercy"  recognised  his  obligation  in 
words  which  should  be  used  by  every  Christian: 

"I  knew  that  I  was  done  with  sin, 
I  knew  that  Christ  had  given  me  birth, 
To  brother  all  the  sons  of  earth." 

These  men  of  Jesus  of  the  early  dawn  carried 
with  them  a  sacramental  spirit  to  impart  the  grace 
of  the  gospel  of  love  and  redemption  to  all  who 
were  without  its  blessed  benefits.  Divine  virtue 
thus  went  forth  from  them  to  heal,  to  comfort,  to 
purify  and  to  gladden  troubled  lives.  They  gave 
themselves  to  the  work,  not  as  though  it  were  a 
superficial  performance  and  a  perfunctory  task, 
to  be  gotten  through  as  speedily  as  possible. 
They  took  it  as  a  privileged  toil  at  which  they 
continued  until  nightfall.  Their  persistence  they 
received  through  intimate  and  constant  associa- 
tion with  him  who  came,  not  to  be  ministered  unto 


34  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

but  to  minister  and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for 
many.  It  is  said  of  Fra  Angelico  that  he  painted 
the  Crucifixion  on  his  knees  and  with  deep  emo- 
tion. He  is  reported  to  have  said  that  ^^He  who 
would  do  the  work  of  Christ  must  dwell  contin- 
ually with  him.''  Such  was  the  practice  of  the 
first  followers  as  it  has  been  that  of  the  faithful 
in  every  generation.  They  caught  the  spirit  of 
the  Master  and  so  they  had  his  accent  and  manner, 
his  purpose  and  bearing,  his  ministry  and  service. 
Their  character  was  marked  by  quietness  and 
confidence,  strength  and  repose,  joy  and  patience, 
assurance  and  endurance.  Thus  they  gave  answer 
to  controversy  and  criticism,  and  were  more  than 
conquerors  through  him  that  loved  them  and 
loveth  us. 

"  O  blessed  work  for  Jesus ! 
0  rest  at  Jesus'  feet! 
There  toil  seems  pleasure, 
My  wants  are  treasure, 
And  pain  for  him  is  sweet. 
Lord,  if  I  may, 
I'll  serve  another  day!  ** 


CHAPTER  THREE 


THE   SUPKEME   UNCTION 


THE  work  of  the  first  Christian  community 
was  inaugurated  on  the  day  of  Pentecost. 
It  was  signalised  by  the  out-pouring  of  the 
Holy  Spirit.  But  we  must  not  think  of  Pentecost 
in  terms  of  the  calendar,  for  there  was  a  continu- 
ous experience  of  energy  which  increased  from 
more  to  more  according  to  the  faith,  love  and 
obedience  of  the  disciples.  The  initial  enduement 
was  marked  by  the  gift  of  tongues  which  was  more 
a  freedom  of  speech  for  testimony  than  any  ec- 
static exhibitions.  The  men  who  had  been  timid 
and  fearful  were  now  possessed  of  abounding 
courage  and  fearless  aggressiveness.  In  their 
desire  to  exalt  the  Name  that  is  above  every  name, 
they  went  out  of  the  way  to  proclaim  its  virtues. 
Such  was  their  ardour  that  they  broke  through 
national  barriers  and  age-long  prejudices  and  pro- 
claimed to  Jew  and  Samaritan,  to  Roman  and 
Greek,  the  glories  of  the  Christ.  Converts  multi- 
plied wherever  these  flaming  evangelists  went. 
**So  mightily  grew  the  word  of  God  and  pre- 
vailed." The  forward  movements  were  all  ac- 
companied by  spiritual  exhibitions  which  were 
distinct  manifestations  of  the  working  of  the  Holy 

35 


36  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

Spirit  in  and  through  these  believers,  for  the 
greater  glory  of  God  and  his  Christ. 

It  was  this  fact  of  the  indwelling  spirit  which 
explains  the  intrepid  energy,  the  zealous  perse- 
verance, the  holy  enthusiasm,  the  inspirational 
devotion  of  the  early  Christians.  God  was  not 
afar  off  but  near  at  hand,  and  they  had  a  vivid 
consciousness  of  the  divine  presence.  They  gave 
the  impression  that  they  had  the  best  thing  in  the 
world.  They  further  let  it  be  known  in  so  attrac- 
tive a  manner  that  enquirers  appeared  who 
promptly  entered  into  the  enjoyment  of  the  Pente- 
costal blessedness.  The  fulness  of  the  Spirit  was 
the  secret  of  their  conspicuous  success  as  it  was 
the  primary  and  indispensable  qualification  for 
effective  evangelism.  The  divine  Spirit  did  not 
touch  them  from  without  but  transformed  them 
from  within.  So  one  chased  a  thousand  and  two 
put  ten  thousand  to  flight,  illustrating  at  once  the 
source  of  their  ability  which  was  from  above,  and 
the  significance  of  their  unity,  in  that  two  men, 
in  the  communion  of  the  Spirit,  did  not  do  twice 
the  work  of  one  but  ten  times  the  work  of  one, 
according  to  the  process  of  multiplication  in  the 
spiritual  world. 

There  may  be  other  advantages  like  organi- 
sation and  scholarship  and  institutions,  but  they 
are  of  real  worth  only  when  they  are  connected 
with  the  dynamo  of  God.  Thus  did  there  come 
power  to  move  men — to  enlighten  the  mind,  to  stir 


The  Supreme  Unction  37 

the  conscience,  to  warm  the  heart,  to  direct  the 
will  and  to  sway  the  life  Godwards.  Take  the 
case  of  Apollos  who  was  both  learned  and  elo- 
quent. But  he  was  at  best  only  a  preacher  of 
ethical  culture  and  his  appeals  continued  to  be 
ineffectual  until  he  received  the  evangelical  ex- 
perience. A  similar  illustration  was  that  of 
Thomas  Chalmers  who  was  an  exemplary  minister 
so  far  as  he  went.  But  there  came  a  spiritual 
crisis  when,  after  much  searching,  he  made  the 
great  surrender,  and  then  his  career  witnessed  a 
release  of  energies  that  made  him  the  conspicuous 
leader  of  the  church  in  Scotland  and  one  of  the 
great  Christian  prophets  of  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. Go  back  in  time  to  the  twelve  men  whom 
Paul  met  at  Ephesus.  They  were  earnest  and 
sincere  and  willing  to  work,  but  they  were  without 
spiritual  ability.  They  had  received  the  baptism 
of  repentance  unto  a  great  expectation  of  the 
coming  Messiah.  The  deliverer  had  already 
come,  of  which  they  were  not  aware,  and  so  Paul 
offered  them  the  baptism  of  redemption  unto  a 
gracious  experience  and  a  glorious  enduement. 
Pentecost  is  related  to  Calvary  and  the  two  must 
never  be  separated.  There  can  be  renewal  of  life 
only  as  there  is  redemption  from  sin.  The  Holy 
Spirit  has  been  well  described  as  **the  missing 
factor  in  our  personality.''  It  was  only  after 
these  twelve  men  accepted  Christ  as  Saviour  that 
they  experienced  the  spirit  of  revival  and  quick- 


38  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

ening,  which  radically  changed  them.  The  abid- 
ing presence  of  the  Spirit  with  them  and  within 
them  empowered  and  enabled  them  to  become 
effectual  helpers  of  the  apostle  in  the  evangelisa- 
tion of  Ephesus  and  around.  Until  the  fire  of  the 
Spirit  fell  on  them  they  were  arrested  in  their 
movements,  but  afterwards  they  had  grip  and  tone 
and  resonance.  They  were  emancipated  from  all 
encumbrances  and  entered  upon  the  campaign 
with  the  white  heat  of  enthusiasm.  Under  these 
circumstances,  we  are  not  surprised  to  read  of 
the  mighty  revival  which  swept  through  the  city, 
so  that  Diana  the  goddess  had  to  give  way  to 
Christ  the  Redeemer. 

This  is  the  central  issue  before  the  Christian 
church.  Questions  of  organisation  and  method 
are  absolutely  subordinate  to  the  vital  question  of 
the  control  of  our  life  by  the  Holy  Spirit.  Other 
matters  are  to  be  determined  by  local  necessities 
but  this  is  the  preeminent  consideration,  to  be 
faced  everywhere  and  by  everyone  with  serious- 
ness and  urgency.  There  can  be  union  and  unity 
only  in  the  Holy  Spirit ;  there  can  be  communion 
only  of  the  Holy  Spirit ;  there  can  be  power  only 
through  the  Holy  Spirit;  there  can  be  advance 
only  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  If  we  work  indepen- 
dently of  this  divine  agency  we  are  bound  to  fail. 
This  indeed  has  been  the  case,  as  we  think  of  the 
present  spiritual  helplessness  of  the  church.  We 
do  not  deny  the  activity  of  ecclesiastical  machin- 


The  Supreme   Unction  39 

ery  of  all  types  and  sizes,  but  there  seems  to  be 
a  strange  lack  of  power.  Only  the  enlightening 
and  energising  Spirit  can  make  of  the  church  an 
inspired  and  inspiring  people,  who  by  reason  of 
their  superior  vitality  will  destroy  the  enervating 
and  enfeebling  atmosphere  of  the  world,  with  its 
disregard  and  discounting  of  the  creative  and  re- 
demptive presence  of  the  everlasting  God.  This 
will  give  the  aroma  and  fragrance  of  the  full 
Christian  life  with  its  exuberance  of  joy  and  glad- 
ness. The  melody  in  the  heart  will  express  itself 
in  song.  The  power  of  song  is  mighty.  That  is 
why  our  soldiers  in  training  are  taught  to  sing. 
If  there  is  anything  worth  singing  about,  it  will 
drive  out  all  the  poisonous  vapours  which  depress 
the  spirits.  The  languid  feeling,  the  laggard 
movement,  the  weary  look,  the  sense  of  defeat, 
will  be  replaced  by  buoyant  optimism,  gladsome 
endurance,  dauntless  vigour  and  singing  confi- 
dence. 

^hat  do  we  commonly  find  in  the  church? 
There  are  lines  of  weariness  on  the  face  when  it 
should  reflect  the  light  of  heaven.  Instead  of  the 
animating  note  of  conviction  we  hear  what  might 
be  called  machine-made  opinions  with  the  clang 
and  clatter  of  chains,  more  suggestive  of  bondage 
than  of  freedom.  A  present  illumination  will 
not  lead  us  nervously  seeking  for  precedents  but 
will  give  us  independence  of  the  past,  which  need 
not  necessarily  imply  that  we  lose  our  respect  for 


40  Essentials  of  Kvangelism 

the  honoured  and  holy  past.  The  desire  for  a 
higher  life,  a  closer  walk  with  God,  a  fuller  sense 
of  his  fellowship,  a  keener  insight  in  discerning 
his  will,  a  heartier  willingness  to  remedy  the 
wrongs  of  life  even  at  the  cost  of  sacrifice,  a  more 
eager  response  to  the  cry  of  need  and  anguish,  a 
readier  sympathy  with  the  sufferer  are  among  the 
marks  of  the  militant  church.  But  the  attitude 
and  life  of  Christians  hardly  convey  the  impres- 
sion made  by  their  Master,  who  said  of  himself: 
**I  am  in  the  midst  of  you  as  he  that  serveth.'' 
Surely  there  is  a  distinction  that  needs  to  be 
clearly  understood,  a  truth  that  must  be  accepted, 
an  emphasis  that  should  be  recovered  by  the 
church.  We  are  straitened  in  ourselves  and  so 
we  have  become  limited  in  the  exercise  of  that  in- 
fluence which  is  strictly  conditioned  by  the  daily, 
personal  renewal  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  Doctor  J. 
H.  Jowett's  testimony  in  his  volume,  **The  Pas- 
sion for  Souls,''  deserves  to  be  most  earnestly 
considered.  ^*  Speaking  for  myself,  I  have  to  say 
that  even  when  for  a  day  I  enter  upon  my  inheri- 
tance, and  realise  the  ineffable  nearness  of  the 
great  Companion-Spirit,  the  strain  not  only  goes 
out  of  my  mind  and  heart,  but  I  feel  the  very 
wrinkles  and  care-lines  being  smoothed  out  of  my 
face.  If  we  were  children  of  Pentecost,  living  up 
to  our  spiritual  times,  heart 's-ease  would  bloom 
just  within  our  gate,  and  the  weary  wayfarer 
would  be   stopped  by  its   perfume,   and  would 


The  Supreme   Unction  41 

question  us  as  to  the  secret  and  manner  of  its 
growth. ' ' 

At  different  periods  in  the  history  of  the 
church,  great  truths  which  were  overlooked  and 
neglected  have  arrested  attention  like  the  re- 
splendence of  the  sun  at  high-noon.  Such  occa- 
sions have  been  invariably  followed  by  revivals, 
when  the  church  entered  as  it  were  upon  a  new 
career  in  a  spirit  of  rejuvenescence.  So  was  it 
at  the  Reformation,  when  Luther  declared  that  a 
man  is  justified  by  faith.  So  was  it  at  the  Evan- 
gelical revival,  when  Wesley  proclaimed  the  as- 
surance of  salvation  and  the  witness  of  the  Spirit. 
So  in  the  recent  awakening  of  the  social  con- 
science, when  the  church  is  being  brought  to  see 
the  imperious,  necessity  of  applying  the  social 
teachings  of  Jesus,  the  prophets  and  the  apostles 
for  the  Christianisation  of  all  society.  So  also 
after  the  church  has  passed  through  the  fiery 
ordeal  of  war,  it  will  realise  how  utterly  inade- 
quate is  reliance  on  temporal  resources.  It  will 
then  seek  and  obtain  the  spiritual  reinvigoration 
that  comes  from  the  eternal  Spirit  of  the  living 
God.  Well  for  us  if  the  sense  of  insufficiency  has 
already  smitten  us.  We  shall  then  be  driven  to 
our  knees  in  penitent  supplication,  in  genuine  sur- 
render, in  sincere  consecration,  to  obtain  the 
power  which  will  give  us  greatest  capacity  and 
largest  achievement.  Professor  J.  Rendel  Harris, 
a  New  Testament  scholar  and  one  of  the  rare 


42  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

spiritual  teachers  of  the  church,  says  in 
*' Aaron's  Breastplate '^  *'To  put  the  matter 
plainly  for  practical  people,  the  Pentecostal  gift 
is,  to  a  large  extent,  one  of  the  lapsed  experiences 
of  the  Christian  Church.  Every  believer  ought 
to  have  the  experience ;  only  a  few  really  have  it 
and  confess  it.  For  us,  then,  it  is  not  a  question 
how  the  first  believers  reached  the  blessing,  but 
how  may  modern  believers  get  back  to  it.  As  far 
as  we  are  concerned,  the  gift  and  grace  of  which 
we  speak  lies  in  the  Spiritual  Lost  Property 
Office.  And  if  that  is  so,  I  say  without  hesitation 
that  a  minute  description  of  the  lost  property  is 
not  necessary  to  the  establishment  of  a  claim. 
The  fact  that  you  are  seeking  something  which 
you  have  lost  is  presumptive  evidence  in  your 
favour.  .  .  .  And  while  we  value  exactness  in 
spiritual  things,  wherever  it  can  be  obtained  by 
creatures  as  normally  inexact  as  ourselves,  we 
need  not  think  that  it  all  turns  on  an  exact  defini- 
tion. The  theology  of  the  experience  is  not  ab- 
solutely necessary  to  the  experience.  What  is 
necessary  is  that  we  should  hunger  and  thirst 
after  righteousness.  What  is  certain  is  that  if 
we  do  so  hunger  we  shall  be  sated." 

Our  identity  is  not  lost  when  we  thus  identify 
ourselves  with  God.  Our  individuality  is  rather 
deepened  and  intensified  and  our  faculties  are 
reinforced.  There  is  a  marked  release  of  energy 
which    enhances    personality.      What    is    latent 


The  Supreme  Unction  43 

comes  to  the  surface,  and  powers  of  which  we 
were  hardly  aware  are  stirred  within  ns.  In  a 
very  literal  and  true  sense  we  become  a  new 
creation,  even  the  workmanship  of  God,  created 
in  Christ  Jesus  for  good  works,  ^*in  righteousness 
and  holiness  of  truth.''  There  is  no  room  in  such 
a  life  for  the  pettiness  of  selfishness  and  strife, 
for  the  rancour  of  discord  and  jealousy,  for  the 
bitterness  of  spite  and  ill-will.  We  shall,  instead, 
give  diligence,  '*to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit  in 
the  bond  of  peace.''  We  shall  see  to  it  that  the 
peace  of  Christ  rules  in  our  hearts  and  that  the 
word  of  Christ  dwells  in  us  richly  in  all  wisdom ; 
and  whatsoever  we  do,  in  word  or  deed,  we  shall 
doi  all  in  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  according 
to  the  Spirit  of  the  Master,  who  did  always  those 
things  that  pleased  the  Father.  Paul  condemned 
the  Corinthian  Christians  because  their  behaviour 
was  un-Christlike ;  and  he  pointed  out  how  absurd 
it  was  to  expect  to  win  the  world  by  unwinsome 
means.  The  Holy  Spirit  is  a  glad  Spirit.  He 
does  not  make  for  confusion  and  disorder  but  for 
harmony  and  unity.  He  inspires  to  steadfastness 
and  continuance  in  well-doing.  He  is  the  Spirit 
of  truth  and  those  who  are  influenced  by  him  have 
the  note  of  reality  and  genuineness.  He  is  the 
Spirit  of  holiness;  the  Christian  character  is 
therefore  distinguished  by  healthy  and  wholesome 
virtues.  He  is  the  Spirit  of  power;  the  life  which 
is  strengthened  by  him  does  not  yield  to  despair, 


44  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

nor  surrender  to  defeat,  nor  give  way  to  discour- 
agement. Thus  did  those  men  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment live ;  and  as  you  read  this  remarkable  little 
book  you  never  come  across  the  minor  key  in  the 
music  of  their  Spirit-filled  lives.  Every  page  is 
written  in  the  style  of  the  doxology,  although  its 
writers  had  suffered  much  which  might  have  jus- 
tified the  passing  lapse  into  an  occasional  com- 
plaint. They  were  constantly  aware  of  the  rich 
resources  of  their  ally,  the  divine  Companion ;  and 
even  when  it  was  darkest  they  were  certain  that 
the  rift  in  the  cloud  would  appear  somewhere, 
somehow,  sometime.  In  this  confidence  they  were 
heroically  sustained  by  the  blessed  Presence  and 
they  had  the  peace  of  God  which  passeth  all 
understanding. 

When  you  are  run  down  physically  hard  tasks 
are  difficult  and  you  feel  a  nervous  strain  in  every- 
thing. A  tonic  is  then  necessary  to  brace  up  the 
system.  When  you  suffer  from  spiritual  de- 
pression and  are  easily  upset,  when  you  are 
quickly  discouraged  and  lightly  lose  heart,  it  may 
be  due  to  general  depletion.  But  do  not  sit  under 
a  juniper  tree.  *^Go  forth,  and  stand  upon  the 
mount  before  the  Lord.''  You  will  there  learn 
that  his  presence  is  not  in  the  strong  wind  nor  in 
the  earthquake  nor  in  the  fire,  but  in  the  still  small 
voice.  As  you  listen  you  will  hear :  and  when  you 
understand,  obey.  Thus  will  you  be  refreshed  at 
the  fountain  of  life  and  be  able  to  lead  others  also 


The  Supreme   Unction  45 

to  him  who  giveth  what  shall  become  in  each  one 
*^a  well  of  water  springing  up  unto  eternal  life." 
The  source  of  power  is  within  your  reach.  But 
you  cannot  receive  its  benefits  unless  you  are  will- 
ing to  let  the  spirit  of  self  give  way  to  the  Spirit 
of  God.  Thus  only  could  you  be  controlled,  di- 
rected and  sustained  by  him,  who  is  the  life  of 
life,  for  your  joy  and  rejoicing  in  all  things, 

"  Spirit,  who  makest  all  things  new, 
Thou  leadest  onward:  we  pursue 

The  heavenly  march  sublime. 
*Neath  thy  renewing  fire  we  glow. 
And  still  from  strength  to  strength  we  go, 

From  height  to  height  we  climb. 

"  In  thee  we  rise,  in  thee  we  rest ; 
We  stay  at  home,  we  go  in  quest, 

Still  thou  art  our  abode. 
The  rapture  swells,  the  wonder  grows, 
As  full  on  us  new  life  still  flows 

From  our  unchanging  God." 


CHAPTER  FOUR 


THE   CENTKAL  PRACTICE 


IT  was  only  after  Pentecost  that  the  disciples 
understood  the  true  value  of  prayer.  They 
were  instructed  to  wait  for  the  promise  of  the 
Father  before  undertaking  their  appointed  work 
of  evangelism.  They  therefore  with  one  accord 
continued  steadfastly  in  prayer.  But  this  period 
of  energetic  expectation  was  interrupted  by  Peter. 
He  suggested  that  they  should  take  some  time  to 
select  a  successor  to  Judas  the  traitor.  The 
choice  fell  on  Matthias  of  whom  we  hear  nothing 
in  the  later  activities  of  the  church.  I  cannot  give 
up  the  thought  that  this  was  a  premature  and 
mistaken  move.  God  had  in  mind  a  different  sort 
of  man  to  fill  this  vacancy.  He  was  ^^born  out  of 
due  time/'  to  use  his  own  words;  but  he  was  to 
appear  on  the  scene  at  the  appointed  time  to  dis- 
charge a  magnificent  apostleship,  in  the  spread  of 
the  evangel.  By  the  grace  of  God,  Paul  made 
room  for  himself  from  the  beginning.  It  has  fre- 
quently happened  in  the  history  of  the  church  that 
men  have  tried  to  improve  the  divine  program  in- 
stead of  carrying  it  out  in  obedience,  and  have 
thereby  placed  themselves  farther  from  the  goal 
than  when  they  started  out.     The  first  thing  and 

46 


The  Central  Practice  47 

the  only  thing  that  the  Lord  required  his  disciples 
to  do  was  to  pray  and  wait  for  the  enduement  by 
the  Holy  Spirit.  They  would  then  understand 
how  best  to  fulfil  their  commission  and  introduce 
new  and  more  effective  methods  of  work.  A 
finely  constructed  engine  according  to  the  latest 
model  is  of  no  value  unless  it  has  steam  or  elec- 
tricity. More  important  than  perfecting  the  or- 
ganisation as  to  the  personnel  of  the  leadership 
and  the  like  is  to  obtain  the  capital  wherewith  to 
operate  it.  What  John  Mott  recently  said  is  sadly 
true:  **An  alarming  weakness  among  Christian^ 
is  that  we  are  producing  Christian  activities 
faster  than  we  are  producing  Christian  experience 
and  Christian  faith. '^  In  spite  of  the  movement 
and  noise  of  ecclesiastical  machinery,  the  results 
accomplished  are  out  of  all  proportion  to  the 
efforts  put  forth.  The  outstanding  cause  is  hon- 
estly stated  in  a  volume  of  essays  entitled,  ^^Con- 
cerning Prayer,''  by  representative  leaders  of 
British  thought.  *^In  all  the  churches  of  late 
there  has  resounded  a  call  to  prayer.  It  has  met 
with  singularly  little  response.  The  reason  is 
not  far  to  seek.  The  present  generation  is  ready 
to  respond  to  a  call  for  higher  service — that  has 
been  demonstrated  by  the  war — but  the  times  do 
not  allow  men  to  put  thought  and  effort  into  any- 
thing unless  they  are  convinced  that  it  is  well 
worth  while.  And  at  the  back  of  most  men's 
minds  there  is  the  belief,  more  or  less  clearly  de- 


48  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

fined,  that  prayer  is  an  activity  the  value  of  which 
is  so  open  to  question,  that  for  the  men  and 
women  who  have  to  carry  on  the  world's  work  it 
decidedly  is  not  worth  while ;  it  may  safely  be  left 
to  ministers  and)  monks  and  to  pious  ladies  who 
have  nothing  else  to  do.'' 

This  is  a  challenge  of  indifference  which  must 
be  accepted.  If  religion  is  union  with  God  then 
there  must  be  communion  with  God,  in  order  that 
its  efficacy  might  be  increasingly  experienced. 
Now,  prayer  is  the  essence  of  religion,  and  the 
consciousness  of  the  love  of  God  is  the  essence  of 
prayer.  So  that  without  the  practise  of  prayer 
we  are  left  without  any  foundation.  The  baptism 
of  the  Holy  Spirit  gave  to  the  disciples  the  accent 
and  authority  of  prayer.  It  was  offered  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  whose  will  and  purpose  they  ac- 
cepted for  their  own  guidance.  He  strictly  en- 
joined them  to  cultivate  the  true  inwardness  of 
life,  and  he  made  it  clear  that  it  was  possible  only 
through  prayer.  Certain  conditions  must  how- 
ever be  diligently  observed.  **When  thou  pray- 
est,  enter  into  thine  inner  chamber,  and  having 
shut  thy  door,  pray  to  thy  Father  who  is  in  secret, 
and  thy  Father  who  seeth  in  secret  shall  recom- 
pense thee."  It  is  a  place  of  quiet — this  of 
prayer,  where  the  distractions  of  contrary  coun- 
sels and  interests  are  set  aside  for  the  sake  of 
meditation.  It  is  also  a  place  of  silence^  where  we 
cease  our  clatter  and  listen  to  the  still  small  voice 


The  Central  Practice  49 

for  understanding  and  direction.  It  is  further  a 
place  of  calmness,  when  the  winds  of  God  blow 
over  the  soul  and  there  comes  the  peace  of  God 
which  passeth  all  understanding.  The  terms  of 
the  divine  promise  are  explicit:  *' Where  two  or 
three  are  gathered  together  in  my  name,  there  am 
I  in  the  midst  of  them. ' '  The  emphasis  is  on  the 
spirit  and  attitude  of  those  assembled,  without 
any  reference  to  numbers.  When  those  who  are 
in  personal  fellowship  with  God  associate  with 
one  another  in  the  exercises  of  supplication,  they 
enter  into  the  richest  religious  experiences.  They 
pray  in  unity  of  spirit  and  there  is  unanimity  as 
their  desires  sound  together.  Deliverance  came 
to  Peter  from  prison  in  answer  to  the  united,  fer- 
vent, continued  prayer  of  the  disciples.  When 
Peter  and  John  were  threatened  by  the  authori- 
ties, they  returned  to  their  company,  and  when 
**they  had  prayed,  the  place  was  shaken  where 
they  were  gathered  together.''  These  two  in- 
stances, and  others  can  be  multiplied,  carry  their 
own  message  and  need  no  note  nor  comment. 
Think  of  John  Wycliffe  and  his  russet  preachers, 
of  Luther,  Melanchthon  and  their  associates,  of 
Wesley  and  the  Holy  Club,  of  Livingstone  in 
Africa,  of  Paton  in  the  New  Hebrides,  of  the  Hay- 
stack meeting,  of  Charles  Haddon  Spurgeon,  of 
George  Miiller,  of  Dwight  L.  Moody.  The  out- 
burst of  spiritual  activity  and  zeal  with  which 
these  several  men  were  connected  was  directly 


50  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

due  to  the  fellowship  of  prayer.  It  can  never  be 
otherwise.  We  hold  conventions  and  conferences, 
to  listen  to  noted  speakers  and  to  reports  from 
committees.  We  then  pass  resolutions  and  flatter 
ourselves  that  everything  is  prosperous.  It  is  a 
delusion.  At  very  few  of  our  religious  gatherings 
does  prayer  occupy  a  conspicuous  place,  and  when 
it  does  appear  it  takes  an  apologetic  stand  behind 
a  song  service  or  some  such  device,  which  is  more 
or  less  of  a  compromise  measure.  The  pathos  of 
it  all  is  that  we  are  not  conscious  of  the  fact  of 
loss,  and  yet  we  are  being  smitten  hip  and  thigh 
by  the  enemy,  and  are  left  high  and  dry. 

Eeal  prayer  depends  on  a  true  conception  of 
God.  He  is  not  a  harsh  tyrant  before  whom  we 
should  grovel  in  abject  submission.  He  is  not  a 
whimsical  taskmaster  whose  judgment  is  warped 
by  passion  and  prejudice.  He  is  not  a  blood- 
thirsty demon  who  is  satisfied  only  with  rivers  of 
blood.  He  is  our  Father  who  does  not  need  to  be 
coaxed  or  bribed  or  flattered  or  entreated  with 
much  speaking  before  he  hears  us.  He  does  for 
us  exceeding  abundantly  above  all  that  we  ask  or 
think,  and  he  confers  his  blessings  with  a  liberal 
hand,  without  stint  or  limitation.  Hence  the  en- 
couraging exhortation:  ^'Let  us  draw  near  with  a 
true  heart,  in  absolute  assurance  of  faith.''  Much 
of  the  trouble  with  most  prayers  is  the  lack  of 
faith.  Hence  there  is  uncertainty  and  hesitation. 
If  we  actually  believe  that  prayer  is  the  mightiest 


The  Central  Practice  5r 

force  on  earth  to  sway  the  destinies  of  men,  we 
will  rely  on  it  with  whole-hearted  abandon  and  use 
it  with  enthusiastic  confidence.  In  the  presence 
of  the  withered  fig  tree,  Jesus  urged  his  disciples 
to  have  faith  in  God,  and  he  added:  ** Whosoever 
shall  say  unto  this  mountain,  be  thou  taken  up  and 
cast  into  the  sea ;  and  shall  not  doubt  in  his  heart, 
but  shall  believe  that  what  he  saith  cometh  to 
pass;  he  shall  have  it.''  How  different  this  is  to 
that  cringing  attitude  which  is  common  in  many 
books  of  devotion.  Turn  to  **The  Spiritual  Exer- 
cises of  St.  Ignatius, ' '  and  you  find  that  the  spirit 
of  the  suppliant  is  both  pagan  and  artificial,  and 
radically  different  to  the  exhilarating  atmosphere 
of  filial  freedom  which  we  breathe  in  the  presence 
of  Jesus.  Or  read  the  ** Private  Devotions"  of 
Bishop  Andrewes,  and  in  spite  of  Doctor  Alex- 
ander Whyte's  eulogy,  you  find  yourself  in  a 
world  of  ascetic  mortifications,  so  unlike  the 
breezy  open  air  of  the  gospels.  Jesus  was  much 
in  prayer  but  it  did  not  consist  of  protracted 
petitioning  as  of  continuous  communing  with  God. 
When  demands  on  his  time  and  energy  pressed  on 
him,  he  insisted  on  spending  time  in  solitude  for 
intercession  and  inspiration.  *^In  the  morning," 
before  the  distractions  began  to  interfere;  **when 
even  was  come,"  at  the  close  of  the  day's  labours, 
Jesus  found  refreshment  in  the  presence  of  hi 
Father.  This  secret  of  power  has  been  enjoyeu 
by  others  who  have  been  with  the  Master  in  the 


52  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

*^ school  of  prayer/'  It  has  been  well  said  that, 
*  *  the  man  who  prays  will  be  found  to  be  the  man 
who  is  generative  and  operative  when  others  are 
non-resultant. '* 

The  nature  of  prayer  is  as  manysided  as  life 
at  its  noblest  and  best.  There  is  adoration  with 
reverence,  thanksgiving  and  praise,  as  we  come 
into  the  presence  of  the  Divine,  recognising  the 
majesty  and  holiness,  the  might  and  grace  of  God, 
and  rejoicing  in  the  mercies  so  opulently  con- 
veyed to  us.  There  is  confession  which  keeps  one 
humble,  as  he  acknowledges  sin  and  imperfection, 
and  pleads  the  merits  of  the  blessed  Saviour,  and 
seeks  for  pardon  and  renewal  of  life  in  sincere 
obedience.  There  is  supplication  when  we  submit 
our  needs  to  God,  not  as  though  we  were  making  a 
demand  but  expressing  an  earnest  desire,  like  the 
Man  of  Gethsemane,  who  said:  ^^Not  my  will  but 
thine  be  done."  While  petition  has  reference  to 
oneself,  the  act  of  intercession  is  prayer  on  behalf 
of  others.  It  is  the  highest  form  of  prayer  when 
we  carry  the  needs  of  others  in  a  vicarious  spirit, 
and  are  ready  to  go  to  the  limit  of  sacrifice  and 
suffering.  You  have  a  new  interest  in  those  for 
whom  you  have  earnestly  prayed.  It  invariably 
prepares  you  to  do  more  and  better  for  them. 
Think  of  the  interceding  Christ  in  the  Upper 
Eoom,  when  he  poured  out  his  soul  for  his  im- 
mediate and  prospective  disciples.  Then  think 
of  Christ  on  Calvary,  and  you  will  realise  that 


The  Central  Practice  53 

intercession  always  leads  to  the  noblest  service. 
*'He  is  able  to  save  unto  the  uttermost  .  ,  . 
seeing  he  ever  liveth  to  make  intercession  for  us." 
The  bearing  of  this  on  evangelism  can  be  demon- 
strated without  any  lengthy  argument.  An  inter- 
ceding church  is  a  victorious  church,  concerning 
which  our  Lord  said :  ' '  The  gates  of  hell  shall  not 
prevail  against  it. ' '  Every  revival  is  sent  of  God 
but  it  is  also  the  '^result  of  strivings  and  plead- 
ings and  agonies  of  desire,"  as  well  as  of  strug- 
glings  and  wrestlings  and  activities  of  will  in 
every  walk  of  life,  inspired  thereto  by  the  Spirit 
of  Christ.  *^As  soon  as  Zion  travailed  she 
brought  forth  children."  Are  we  willing  to  go 
down  into  the  valley  of  humiliation,  and  pay  the 
price  of  sacrifice,  and  take  our  life  in  our  hands, 
and  thus  show  a  spirit  of  determination  as  we 
begin  a  season  of  supplication  and  intercession? 
We  shall  then  reap  the  reward. 

All  prayer  is  based  on  the  filial  spirit,  and  what 
counts  most  is  the  direction  of  our  prayer.  Our 
will  is  not  dormant  but  dominant,  and  through 
prayer  we  seek  to  rise  to  those  higher  levels  where 
God's  will  reigns  supreme.  On  those  holy  heights 
the  human  will  is  charged  and  surcharged,  formed 
and  transformed,  endued  and  endowed  by  the 
Spirit  divine.  Man  then  approaches  God  not  as 
a  suppliant  in  a  spirit  of  fatalism,  but  as  a  sym- 
pathiser in  the  spirit  of  faith.  *^The  curse  of  so 
much  religion  is  that  men  cling  to  God  with  their 


54  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

weakness  rather  than  with  their  strength/'  For- 
syth, who  quotes  this  sentence  from  George  Mere- 
dith, adds:  ^'Let  us  beware  of  a  pietist  fatalism 
which  thins  the  spiritual  life,  saps  the  vigour  of 
character,  makes  humility  mere  acquiescence  and 
piety  only  feminine,  by  banishing  the  will  from 
prayer  as  much  as  thought  has  been  banished  from 
it."  Prayer  when  rightly  understood  is  the  real 
battlefield  of  life.  The  inevitable  wrestling  in 
prayer  makes  it  a  serious,  an  exacting  and  an 
exhausting  business.  In  the  garden  our  Lord 
sweat  as  it  were  great  drops  of  blood,  in  his  stern 
endeavour,  at  that  hour  of  darkness,  to  enter  into 
the  full  counsel  of  God  with  unreserved  surrender. 
The  outcome  in  Gethsemane  explains  his  victory 
at  Calvary.  If  we  would  meet  dark  days  and 
nerve-racking  difficulties,  it  must  be  in  a  spirit  of 
calmness  and  self-possession  which  can  be  ob- 
tained by  the  use  of  the  sacrament  of  prayer. 

"  Be  not  afraid  to  pray — to  pray  is  right. 
Pray,  if  thou  canst,  with  hope ;  but  ever  pray. 
Though  hope  be  weak,  or  sick  with  long  delay; 
Pray  in  the  darkness,  if  there  be  no  light. 
Far  is  the  time,  remote  from  human  sight. 
When  war  and  discord  on  the  earth  shall  cease. 
Yet  every  prayer  for  universal  peace 
Avails  the  blessed  time  to  expedite. 
Whate'er  is  good  to  wish,  ask  that  of  Heaven, 
Though  it  be  what  thou  canst  not  hope  to  see; 
Pray  to  be  perfect,  though  material  leaven 
Forbid  the  spirit  so  on  earth  to  be; 
But  if  for  any  wish  thou  darest  not  pray, 
Then  pray  to  God  to  cast  that  wish  away." 


The  Central  Practice  55 

Answers  to  prayer  do  not  consist  so  much  in 
receiving  what  we  ask  as  in  getting  insight  and 
moral  strength  for  the  performance  of  duty.  It 
is  illumination  that  we  need,  which  gives  us  guid- 
ance and  ability  to  do  at  any  cost.  **  We  know  not 
how  to  pray  as  we  ought/'  wrote  the  apostle,  *^but 
the  Spirit  himself  maketh  intercession  for  us.'' 
So  if  we  pray  in  the  Spirit,  weakness  will  turn  to 
strength,  uncertainty  to  confidence,  fear  into  cour- 
age, anxiety  into  assurance,  panic  into  peace. 
These  are  the  true  answers  to  the  waiting  soul, 
and  it  means  that  we  obtain  inspiration  for  en- 
durance and  continuance  in  the  work  of  evan- 
gelism. How  easy  it  is  to  become  discouraged, 
especially  when  results  do  not  immediately  follow 
earnest  and  sustained  efforts !  But  by  prayer  the 
mind  is  strengthened,  the  will  is  invigorated,  the 
life  is  kept  joyous  and  equable.  But  let  us  not 
infer  that  prayers  are  not  literally  answered. 
The  lives  of  Christians  abundantly  illustrate  that 
fervent  supplications  are  actually  heard.  We 
have  only  to  mention  the  names  of  such  leaders 
like  Andrew  Murray,  George  Miiller,  Hudson 
Taylor,  Chinese  Gordon,  George  Matheson,  to  be 
reminded  that  this  is  one  of  the  joys  of  the  prayer 
life.  **No  really  great  theologian,  no  really  great 
believer,"  says  W.  Robertson  Nicoll,  ^'has  ever 
lived  to  whom  prayer  was  not  infinitely  more  im- 
portant than  any  mere  exercise  of  the  intellect." 
Let  us  recover  the  habit  of  prayer  v/hich  has  been 


^6  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

lost  by  spiritual  inertia  and  attention  to  secondary 
matters.  You  can  do  this  by  directly  giving  your- 
self to  prayer  and  by  keeping  at  it,  until  the  cloud 
appears  in  the  brazen  sky.  But  do  not  stop  when 
the  showers  descend.  Keep  up  the  blessed  prac- 
tice and  continue  unceasing  in  prayer  for  the 
triumphs  of  the  Church  and  the  Kingdom  through- 
out the  world. 

"  If  we  with  earnest  effort  could  succeed 
To  make  our  life  one  long  connected  prayer, 
As  lives  of  some  perhaps  have  been  and  are; 
If  never  leaving  Thee,  we  had  no  need 
Our  wandering  spirits  back  again  to  lead 
Into  Thy  presence,  but  continued  there, 
Like  angels  standing  on  the  highest  stair 
Of  the  sapphire  throne,  this  were  to  pray  indeed. 
But  if  distractions  manifold  prevail, 
And  if  in  this  we  must  confess  we  fail. 
Grant  us  to  keep  at  least  a  prompt  desire, 
Continual  readiness  for  prayer  and  praise. 
An  altar  heaped  and  waiting  to  take  fire 
With  the  least  spark,  and  leap  into  a  blaze." 


CHAPTER  FIVE 

THE   HOLY   PASSION 

WE  can  really  understand  a  person  if  we 
know  what  is  the  underlying  purpose  of 
his  life.  There  are  many  interests  in 
most  lives  but  back  of  all  there  is  what  Doctor 
Henry  VanDyke  has  well  called  a  **  ruling  pas- 
sion. ' '  If  that  is  known  you  have  got  at  the  secret 
of  personality.  *^  Music,  nature,  children,  honour, 
strife,  revenge,  money,  pride,  friendship,  loyalty, 
duty — to  these  objects  and  to  others  like  them,  the 
secret  power  of  personal  passion  often  turns,  and 
the  life  unconsciously  follows  it,  as  the  tides  in  the 
sea  follow  the  moon  in  the  sky. ' '  Many  apparent 
inconsistencies  are  also  better  understood  and 
they  cease  to  be  regarded  as  such  when  we  know 
what  is  the  absorbing  thought,  aim  and  desire  of 
any  individual.  Many  errors  of  judgment  can 
thus  be  avoided  as  we  get  behind  the  scenes  of 
life.  John  Morley  in  his  life  of  Gladstone  refers 
to  the  wonderful  versatility  of  this  British  states- 
man and  goes  on  to  say:  '^All  his  activities  were 
in  his  mind  one.  Political  life  was  only  part  of 
his  religious  life.  It  was  religion  that  prompted 
his  literary  life.  It  was  the  religious  motive  that 
through  a  thousand  avenues  and  channels  stirred 

57 


^8  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

him  and  guided  him  in  his  whole  conception  of 
active,  social  duty/'  The  apostle  Paul  frequently 
refers  to  the  purpose  that  was  controlling,  stimu- 
lating and  compelling  him.  **The  love  of  Christ 
constraineth  us,'*  is  a  brief  but  weighty  sentence 
which  lucidly  expresses  the  prevailing  passion  of 
his  life.  In  the  light  of  it,  we  are  able  to  under- 
stand and  appreciate  his  whole  career.  He  was 
indebted  to  the  Redeemer  Christ  beyond  all  that 
tongue  could  tell,  and  daily  did  his  sense  of  obliga- 
tion increase.  The  promise  of  the  gospel  of  sal- 
vation was  so  thoroughly  fulfilled  in  his  own  life 
that  he  experienced  the  passionate  passion  of  the 
gospel  and  was  ready  on  every  occasion  to  preach 
its  good  tidings.  Whether  he  was  speaking  to  a 
single  individual  like  Felix  the  governor  or  to 
Onesimus  the  runaway  slave;  or  whether  he  was 
addressing  a  company,  composed  of  royalty  or 
of  the  common  people,  he  was  always  eager  to 
induce  his  hearers  to  accept  the  message  of  Christ 
and  receive  deliverance  from  sin.  He  became  all 
things  to  all  men  that  he  might  by  all  means  save 
them.  It  was  not  rhetoric  when  he  soberly  de- 
clared :  '*I  could  have  wished  myself  accursed  and 
banished  from  Christ  for  the  sake  of  my  brothers, 
my  natural  kinsmen";  and  again  when  he  said: 
**I  am  debtor  both  to  Greeks  and  Barbarians,  both 
to  the  wise  and  to  the  foolish."  It  was  this  same 
irrepressible  ardour  which  he  showed  when,  after 
he  was  stoned  at  Lystra  almost  to  the  point  of 


The  Holy  Passion  59 

death,  he  returned  to  that  same  city  in  a  few 
days,  fearless  and  faithful  (Acts  14:19-21). 

Paul  was  certain  beyond  any  shadow  of  doubt 
that  the  world  was  alienated  and  estranged  from 
God.  He  was  also  confident  that  only  through 
Christ  could  man  be  restored  to  friendship  with 
God.  He  knew  that  many  had  wandered  away 
from  the  Father  owing  to  ignorance  of  his  char- 
acter and  a  misunderstanding  of  his  purpose  of 
world-wide  redemption.  He  always  made  a 
point  of  emphasising  the  truth  that  all  people 
are  equally  precious  in  the  sight  of  God  and  that 
in  Christ  every  wall  of  separation  has  for  ever 
been  abolished,  be  it  racial,  ethnic,  national,  social 
or  what  not.  He  moreover  had  the  courage  to 
accept  this  conclusion,  although  he  was  severely 
criticised  by  some  of  his  fellow-Christians  for 
going  too  far  and  letting  down  the  bars  of  in- 
herited privilege,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  who 
was  the  first  to  recognise  only  the  privilege  of 
genuine  merit  and  intrinsic  worth.  It  is  cer- 
tainly refreshing  to  be  in  the  company  of  this 
fervent  preacher  who  was  so  far  ahead  of  his 
times,  as  indeed  he  is  of  our  own  times,  and  whose 
teaching  of  Christ  the  Saviour  and  Unifier  of  all 
peoples  puts  the  blush  of  shame  upon  us  for  being 
so  provincial  and  superficial. 

We  are  doubtless  familiar  with  the  words  of 
Jesus  spoken  in  defence  or  in  explanation  of  his 
practices ;  but  they  have  a  deeply  profound  mean- 


6o  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

ing  when  considered  in  the  light  of  recent  events. 
* '  The  Son  of  man  has  come  to  seek  and  to  save  the 
lost/'  was  the  reason  why  he  extended  the  hospi- 
tality of  the  gospel  to  Zaccheus  the  outcast.  ' '  The 
Son  of  man  has  not  come  to  be  served  but  to  serve, 
and  to  give  his  life  a  ransom  for  many,"  was  said 
to  his  disciples,  who  were  obsessed  by  thoughts  of 
place  and  position  and  ignored  the  uncomfortable 
mission  of  sacrificing  and  sacrificial  service  of 
those  who  were  socially  submerged,  for  whom  also 
Christ  had  died.  Jesus  treated  everyone  with 
respect,  and  by  his  gracious  bearing  he  drew  out 
of  the  inner  recesses  of  the  soul  those  feelings 
and  desires  which  find  satisfaction  only  in  fellow- 
ship with  the  heavenly  Father.  Nowhere  do  we 
see  any  spirit  of  indifference  or  hopelessness  con- 
cerning the  spiritual  possibilities  of  men.  Jesus 
always  had  a  wholesome  confidence  in  the  re- 
demptibility  of  everyone.  His  life  was  therefore 
heartily  consecrated  to  the  business  of  winning 
them  for  God,  with  an  enthusiasm  that  was  con- 
tinuous and  costly.  It  involved  the  sacrifice  on 
the  Cross,  which  was  the  price  of  this  all-dominat- 
ing passion  for  the  highest  welfare  of  the  whole 
human  race.  ^ '  Perhaps  the  conscience  of  him  who 
feels  that  he  is  obliged  to  go  as  far  as  this  for 
men,  most  of  whom  he  has  never  seen,  none  of 
whom  can  wholly  please  him,  and  many  of  whom 
pain  him  unutterably  is  the  crowning  marvel. 
The  sense  of  obligation  revealed  at  Calvary  is  its 


The  Holy  Passion  bi 

supreme  surprise. '^  So  wrote  Doctor  Coffin  in 
his  searching  volume  of  sermons  on  ^^  Social 
Aspects  of  the  Cross/'  On  another  page  he  says : 
**It  is  only  when  we  are  convinced  of  Christ's 
individual  concern  in  every  one  of  the  millions  of 
China,  or  of  the  thousands  on  a  congested  city 
block  that  we  are  at  one  with  him.  We  then  cease 
arguing  about  their  worth,  their  improvability, 
their  need  of  more  justice  or  better  religion. 
What  each  is  to  the  heart  of  God  in  Christ,  that 
and  nothing  less  he  is  to  us." 

This  deep  sense  of  obligation  was  shared  to  the 
full  by  Paul  and  the  writers  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment. **We  love,  because  he  first  loved  us,''  said 
John.  The  love  for  Christ  thus  had  a  reflex  in- 
fluence. You  cannot  love  Christ  without  loving 
what  he  loved,  and  showing  your  love  in  ways 
that  are  suggestive  of  his  spirit.  ^*I  desire  to 
burn  out  for  my  God,"  said  Henry  Martyn,  as  he 
began  missionary  work  in  India.  How  very  like 
Paul,  who  spoke  of  the  constraining  love  of  Christ. 
The  word  constrain  has  the  elements  of  strength. 
It  describes  an  active  and  not  a  passive  experi- 
ence. Eestraint  is  negative,  and  does  not  lead  to 
redemption,  either  of  oneself  or  of  others.  Con- 
straint implies  an  urging  and  an  impelling.  It 
holds  together  the  several  impulses  of  the  soul;  it 
shuts  them  in  and  confines  within  bounds  like  the 
banks  of  a  river  for  depth,  and  so  there  is  con- 
centration for  effectiveness.     Such  was  the  ex- 


62  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

perience  which  led  Paul  to  say;  ^^This  one  thing 
I  do.^'  Everything  else  was  subordinated  to  the 
supreme  business  of  bringing  men  to  God.  His 
evangelistic  spirit  has  been  well  described  by  F. 
W.  H.  Myers  in  the  stirring  poem,  ** Saint  Paul": 

"  Oft  when  the  Word  is  on  me  to  deliver 

Lifts  the  illusion  and  the  truth  lies  bare; 
Desert  or  throng,  the  city  or  the  river. 
Melts  in  a  lucid  Paradise  of  air; — 

"  Only  like  souls  I  see  the  folk  thereunder, 

Bound  who  should  conquer,  slaves  who  should  be  kings, — ^ 
Hearing  their  one  hope  with  an  empty  wonder. 
Sadly  contented  in  a  show  of  things; — 

"  Then  with  a  rush  the  intolerable  craving 

Shivers  throughout  me  like  a  trumpet-call, — 
Oh  to  save  these!  to  perish  for  their  saving. 
Die  for  their  life,  be  offered  for  them  all!  " 


No  one  can  feel  in  this  way  except  those  who 
have  the  vision  of  Christ.  It  was  said  of  Hugh 
Price  Hughes,  the  English  Methodist,  that  he  re- 
covered for  his  church  its  ancient  passion  for  the 
souls  of  men  and  set  it  in  living  power  in  the 
stream  of  modern  life.  But  Hughes  believed  in 
the  redemption  of  the  whole  man  and  was  one  of 
the  pioneers  in  preaching  social  Christianity.  In 
replying  to  a  charge  that  he  was  not  preaching 
the  gospel  when  he  discussed  social  questions,  he 
said:  **I  might  have  settled  the  matter  by  saying 
that  I  had  no  disembodied  *  souls'  in  my  congrega- 


The  Holy  Passion  63 

tion,  but  that  I  had  souls  incarnate,  souls  attached 
to  bodies  and  that  we  must  deal  with  man  as  a 
complex  being.  There  is  too  much  truth  in  the 
saying  I  have  often  quoted  of  late  that  *  some  very- 
earnest  Christians  are  so  diligently  engaged  in 
saving  souls  that  they  have  no  time  to  save  men 
and  women/  "'  Those  who  have  the  passion  and 
compassion  of  Jesus  will  be  stirred  to  carry  out 
his  whole  program  and  they  will  co-operate  to  do 
so  with  joy.  There  will  be  earnestness  and  seri- 
ousness of  purpose ;  there  will  be  tenderness  and 
tactf ulness  of  manner ;  there  will  be  patience  and 
endurance  in  practice ;  there  will  be  sensitiveness 
to  every  need  and  readiness  to  adjust  ourselves 
to  the  divers  and  distracted  relationships  of 
life.  Enthusiasm  is  so  balanced  and  buoyant  a 
disposition  that  it  knows  nothing  of  times  and 
seasons.  It  has  convictions  as  to  the  rightfulness 
of  the  cause ;  it  has  courage  in  the  face  of  ridicule 
and  calumny ;  it  shows  continuance  in  well-doing ; 
it  keeps  its  hand  on  the  plough  and  its  eyes  look- 
ing forward  until  the  whole  field  is  cultivated. 
Just  as  Jesus  came  into  the  world  with  a  redemp- 
tive passion  and  was  swayed  by  it  to  the  very  last 
and  unto  the  uttermost,  so  must  it  be  with  every 
Christian,  who  offers  not  a  system  of  morality  but 
a  heart  of  love. 

"  One  holy  passion  filling  all  my  frame ; 

The  kindling  of  the  heaven-descended  dove, 
My  heart  an  altar,  and  thy  love  the  flame." 


64  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

Love  always  means  sacrifice.  *^God  so  loved 
the  world  that  he  gave  his  only  begotten  Son." 
Doctor  Jowett  well  says :  *^The  gospel  of  a  broken 
heart  demands  the  ministry  of  bleeding  hearts. 
If  that  succession  be  broken  we  lose  our  fellow- 
ship with  the  King.  As  soon  as  we  cease  to  bleed 
we  cease  to  bless.  When  our  sympathy  loses  its 
pang  we  can  no  longer  be  the  servants  of  the 
passion.''  But  how  can  sympathy  be  shown  un- 
less we  take  the  point  of  view  of  the  other  person 
and  suffer  with  him  in  his  sorrow  and  distress? 
There  is  nothing  officious  nor  official  but  human 
and  humane  in  such  a  Christ-inspired  fellow-feel- 
ing. How  can  you  be  friendly  unless  you  bring 
succour  in  the  hour  of  need,  even  at  the  cost  of 
your  own  inconvenience  and  discomfort?  How 
can  there  be  compassion  unless  you  carry  the 
burden  on  your  own  soul,  even  if  it  must  wear  you 
down  to  the  point  of  exhaustion!  Said  one  of 
old:  ^'I  will  not  offer  unto  the  Lord  my  God  of 
that  which  cost  me  nothing. ' '  What  you  do  with- 
out effort  accomplishes  little.  There  must  be 
wrestling  in  prayer,  tirelessness  in  work,  eager 
watchfulness  for  opportunities,  willingness  to 
continue  although  repeatedly  rebuffed.  This  is 
how  men  have  laboured  who  got  results  in  the 
home  field  as  well  as  on  the  mission  field.  Father 
Stanton  who  worked  for  fifty  years  in  a  congested 
London  parish  said  that  he  preferred  to  be  known 
as  *  *  an  enthusiast  for  the  love  of  Jesus. ' '    He  thus 


The  Holy  Passion  65 

entered  vicariously  into  communion  with  Christ, 
for  the  sake  of  saving  souls — * '  to  displace  vice  by 
purity,  hatred  by  love,  despair  by  joy;  working 
never  alone,  but  with  Jesus,  and  knowing  this.'* 

This  truly  is  the  spirit  of  the  Cross,  and  it  is 
indispensable  for  the  possession  and  the  practice 
of  the  holy  passion.  '*  Paganism  is  an  elaborate 
device  to  do  without  the  Cross.  Yet  it  is  ever  a 
futile  device,  for  the  Cross  is  in  the  very  grain 
and  essence  of  all  life;  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  all  permanent  and  satisfying  gladness.*'  So 
wrote  Doctor  John  Kelman  in  his  discerning  essay 
on  Thomson's  *^The  Hound  of  Heaven."  It  is 
one  of  the  great  poems  of  English  literature  and 
describes  the  persistent  pursuit  of  God  after  the 
soul  of  man.  The  seeking  God  has  been  perfectly 
incarnated  in  Jesus  Christ,  and  we  who  believe  in 
him  must  in  turn  incarnate  this  spirit  of  the 
Saviour  in  order  that  a  lost  world  might  be 
brought  back  to  God.  Such  a  course  alone  will 
adequately  accomplish  the  task. 

This  then  is  the  great  motive  of  the  church.  It 
is  big  enough  and  strong  enough,  to  carry  far, 
even  to  the  ends  of  the  world.  Where  it  operates 
all  lesser  things  will  be  shamed  out  of  its  presence. 
The  storm  of  domestic  strife  will  be  calmed;  the 
rancour  of  denominationalism  will  be  suppressed ; 
petty  differences  will  be  ignored.  The  surge  and 
thrill  of  ^4ove  divine,  all  loves  excelling"  will 
burn  out  the  dross  of  selfishness  and  enmity,  and 


66  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

bring  all  lovers  of  the  Lord  to  love  men  in  his 
way,  and  so  labour  in  season  and  out  of  season, 
to  bring  in  that  better  day  of  universal  blessed- 
ness and  peace. 

"0  Zion,  haste,  thy  mission  high  fulfilling, 
To  tell  to  all  the  world  that  God  is  Light; 
That  he  who  made  all  nations  is  not  willing 

One  soul  should  perish,  lost  in  shades  of  night. 
Publish  glad  tidings; 

Tidings  of  peace; 
Tidings  of  Jesus, 

Redemption  and  release." 


CHAPTER  SIX 

RELIGIOUS    CONVERSATION" 

THE  greatest  results  have  often  been  ob- 
tained in  quiet  and  out-of-the-way  places 
by  people  whose  names  have  not  come  down 
to  posterity.  Christianity  was  established  in  the 
city  of  Antioch  after  the  martyrdom  of  Stephen 
by  some  unknown  disciples  who  were  driven  out 
of  Jerusalem  by  the  bloody  persecution.  When 
Europe  was  under  the  pall  of  spiritual  darkness, 
the  Poor  Men  of  Lyons  carried  about  the  torch 
of  truth.  Wycliffe  spread  the  principles  of  gospel 
liberty  throughout  England  with  the  aid  of  his 
russet  preachers.  The  local  preachers  of  Method- 
ism were  indispensable  in  carrying  the  evangel 
and  they  were  loyally  supported  by  the  followers 
of  John  Wesley.  The  enterprise  of  foreign  mis- 
sions which  began  almost  simultaneously  with  the 
start  of  Methodism  was  carried  out  by  conse- 
crated laymen  who  took  service  in  foreign  ports 
as  merchants  that  they  might  spread  Christ's 
kingdom,  without  embarrassing  the  far  too  limited 
exchequer  of  the  missionary  society.  All  these 
devout  folk,  and  many  others  like  them  at  differ- 
ent periods  of  the  church's  history,  made  effective 

67 


68  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

strokes  for  their  Christian  convictions  by  seizjing 
every  opportunity  which  presented  itself  in  their 
daily  intercourse  with  people.  They  engaged  in 
*^ wayside  preaching"  in  the  course  of  business 
and  social  relations.  Their  interest  in  the  subject 
was  so  keen  and  the  influence  which  it  exercised 
over  them  was  so  quickening  that  all  they  did  was 
for  the  glory  of  Christ.  They  found  points  of 
contact  in  ordinary  topics,  and  in  the  most  natural 
way  they  led  up  to  the  higher  themes  of  the  Chris- 
tian life,  and  the  purpose  of  the  gospel  to  Chris- 
tianise every  vocation  and  avocation.  They  be- 
lieved in  the  sort  of  social  evangelism  which  is  at 
home  in  every  walk  of  life,  and  they  maintained 
that  it  was  most  seemly  and  proper  to  refer  to  it 
in  '* polite''  society,  as  well  as  in  what  by  an 
unnatural  distinction  is  called  *' religious''  so- 
ciety. They  evidently  thought  it  strange  that 
anyone  should  object  to  the  introduction  of  re- 
ligion as  a  topic  of  conversation.  If  men  talk 
about  what  they  are  most  interested,  and  welcome 
questions  relating  to  politics,  commerce,  litera- 
ture, travel,  invention,  but  at  the  same  time  ex- 
clude the  question  of  religion,  it  must  be  inferred 
that  they  are  not  interested  in  it.  This  can  hardly 
be  the  case,  for  religion  is  the  most  permanent  and 
persistent  concern  of  mankind  in  every  age.  The 
reason  why  it  is  not  frankly  talked  about  may  be 
because  it  is  not  the  custom  to  do  so.  The  notion 
doubtless  prevails  that  the  subject  is  too  sacred 


Religious  Conversation  69 

for  promiscuous  discussion.  The  fact  is  that  we 
have  lost  the  art  of  religious  conversation  by- 
sheer  neglect  and  disuse.  George  W.  Pepper, 
himself  a  layman,  suggestively  refers  to  this 
matter  in  his  Yale  lectures,  ^*A  Voice  from  the 
Crowd.''  He  says:  *'The  rehearsal  of  one's  per- 
sonal religious  experience  is  a  dangerous  habit 
and  is  to  be  checked  rather  than  to  be  encouraged. 
But  the  place  of  religion  in  life,  the  nature  and 
method  of  revelation,  the  hope  of  immortality  and 
its  bearing  upon  conduct — these  are  topics  of  ex- 
traordinary interest,  and  intelligent  men  would  do 
well  to  recognise  the  fact.  We  fail  to  realise  that 
to  stifle  religion  is  quite  as  dangerous  as  to 
feign  it." 

The  apostle  Paul  has  many  counsels  on  this 
subject.  ^'Let  your  speech  be  always  with  grace, 
seasoned  with  salt. "  "  Let  no  corrupt  speech  pro- 
ceed out  of  our  mouth,  but  such  as  is  good  for 
edifying  as  the  need  may  be,  that  it  may  give 
grace  to  them  that  hear."  The  guiding  principle 
of  such  communications  is  found  in  the  words  of 
Jesus:  *^Out  of  the  abundance  of  the  heart  the 
mouth  speaketh."  Your  talk  will  indicate  your 
manner  of  life.  Can  it  be  that  if  you  say  nothing, 
it  is  because  you  have  nothing  to  say?  And  yet 
you  call  yourself  a  follower  of  Christ.  He  ex- 
pected his  disciples  to  be  the  salt  of  the  earth  and 
give  to  society  a  purifying  influence.  He  desired 
them  to  be  the  light  of  the  world  and  dispel  the 


70  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

darkness  of  error  and  evil.  He  meant  them  to  be 
of  a  communicative  disposition  and  to  be  cheerful 
and  amiable  in  sharing  their  spiritual  treasures 
with  others. 

Conversation  is  at  once  an  informal  and  an  in- 
forming medium  of  intercourse.  If  it  is  to  delight 
and  profit,  it  must  have  the  elements  of  courtesy 
and  sympathy,  cordiality  and  interest,  goodness 
and  patience,  calmness  and  friendliness.  The  at- 
mosphere must  also  be  warm  and  genial,  with  a 
sense  of  leisureliness,  free  from  reserve  and  cyni- 
cism. Conversation  is  not  the  small  talk  of  gossip 
but  the  enlivening  talk  of  mutual  suggestiveness 
and  good  cheer.  It  is  the  kind  of  talk  that  comes 
spontaneously  out  of  a  full  mind  and  a  kindly 
heart,  and  brings  joy  and  gladness.  In  true  con- 
versation there  is  a  healthy  give  and  take,  and  the 
process  is  exhilarating  and  enjoyable.  Such  talk- 
ability  is  altogether  unlike  what  Henry  VanDyke 
calls  *Hhe  vice  of  talkativeness,''  which  is  ^^a  sel- 
fish, one-sided,  inharmonious  affair,  full  of  dis- 
comfort and  productive  of  most  un-Christian 
feelings.''  What  makes  the  correspondence  be- 
tween souls  so  attractive  is  the  fact  that  the  talk 
has  to  do  with  personal  experiences  in  all  their 
varied  grades  and  stages.  But  it  is  not  merely 
the  retailing  of  personal  items  that  gives  spice  to 
conversation.  There  must  be  facts  of  interest, 
bits  of  news  that  give  cheer,  thoughts  that  kindle 
the  emotions  and  stir  the  affections.     In  this  way 


Religious  Conversation  71 

the  finest  virtues  of  companionship  are  cultivated 
and  fellowship  widened. 

All  these  qualities  which  make  general  conver- 
sation attractive  must  also  appear  in  religious 
conversation.  You  cannot  interest  others  in  what 
you  are  not  interested  yourself.  It  is  impossible 
to  share  in  the  gifts  and  graces  of  religious  ex- 
perience when  one  has  it  in  doubtful  or  limited 
measure.  Topics  which  are  threadbare  are  as 
stale  and  distasteful  as  stories  which  are  known 
as  ^* chestnuts.'*  There  must  be  freshness  and 
directness,  reality  and  genuineness,  warmth  and 
welcome,  heartiness  and  happiness,  glow  and 
gladness,  cheer  and  charm. 

"  We  share  our  mutual  woes, 
Our  mutual  burdens  bear; 
And  often  for  each  other  flows 
The  sympathising  tear." 

But  how  can  we  act  in  this  fraternal  manner 
if  we  are  not  familiar  with  each  other  *s  circum- 
stances? Such  knowledge  is  invariably  obtained 
through  conversation.  It  was  to  encourage  this 
practice  that  the  class  meeting  was  organised  by 
Wesley.  Those  who  desired  to  speak  often  one  to 
another  came  together  in  an  informal  way.  They 
were  accustomed  to  meet  ^4n  kitchen,  or  drawing 
room,  hay-loft,  coal  pit  or  barn";  and  the  results 
more  than  justified  its  existence.  The  class  meet- 
ing often  became  the  germ-cell  of  new  Methodist 
societies,  and  through  it  the  principle  of  com- 


72  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

munion  found  exquisite  expression.  Mr.  Eayrs 
in  ^*A  New  History  of  Methodism,''  succinctly 
describes  the  characteristics  of  the  class  meeting, 
which  I  gladly  quote  because  it  aptly  sets  forth 
some  of  the  necessary  features  which  make  re- 
ligious conversation  so  wholesome  and  fragrant. 
**It  was  marked  as  non-sacerdotal,  since  in  these 
gatherings  for  fellowship  ordained  and  unor- 
dained  persons  dealt  freely  with  the  mysteries  of 
the  spiritual  life;  as  experimental  and  practical 
rather  than  doctrinaire  and  controversial,  for  here 
everything  was  brought  to  the  test  of  common  ex- 
perience; as  ethical  as  well  as  emotional,  for  the 
members  knew  the  conduct  of  one  another  and  all 
combined  to  sustain  each  in  such  behaviour  as 
became  the  gospel  and  Methodism;  as  social  and 
gladsome  with  holy  song,  rather  than  self-cen- 
tred, cloistered  and  sombre;  as  free  from  state 
aid  and  control,  as  it  was  sustained  by  the  regular 
freewill  offerings  of  those  who  voluntarily  ac- 
cepted its  ministrations''  (Vol.  I.  289).  Say 
what  we  will,  the  warmth  of  temperament  which 
has  been  the  glory  of  Methodism  can  be  explained 
by  the  influence  of  the  class  meeting,  which  drew 
the  members  into  closer  bonds  of  unity  and  fra- 
ternity, and  was  ^^an  objective  visualisation  of  the 
principle  of  communion  as  Christendom  had  never 
before  seen."  American  Methodism  has  prac- 
tically given  up  this  distinctive  institution,  on  the 
plea  that  it  had  outgrown  its  usefulness.    An  at- 


Religious  Conversation  73 

tempt  should  rather  have  been  made  to  adjust 
it  to  modern  needs  in  harmony  with  a  growing 
Christian  experience.  But  having  let  it  go,  noth- 
ing else  has  taken  its  place  as  an  agency  for  the 
development  of  free  and  ready  religious  speech, 
concerning  the  things  that  are  near  and  dear  to 
life. 

So  many  Christian  people  surround  themselves 
by  inaccessible  walls  of  exclusiveness  and  they 
remain  silent  touching  the  deep  interests  of  life. 
Such  a  spirit  of  reserve  and  restraint  is  most 
unhealthy.  They  are  sociable  enough  in  a  general 
way  but  the  barriers  go  up  as  soon  as  serious 
issues  are  introduced.  We  have  become  so  afraid 
of  cant  and  hypocrisy  that  there  is  a  sentimental 
sensitiveness  about  giving  oral  expression  to  our 
religious  feelings  and  desires.  The  well  from 
which  water  is  not  drawn  ceases  to  be  sweet  and 
refreshing.  In  like  manner,  if  we  fail  to  draw 
from  the  wells  of  religious  emotion,  we  had  better 
close  them  up  for  the  sake  of  the  health  of  the 
community.  Of  all  tragic  cases  are  those  Chris- 
tians who  illustrate  the  *'law  of  arrested  develop- 
ment.'' Let  us  recognise  the  causes  of  our  dis- 
tress and  honestly  remove  them.  One  of  these  is 
the  lack  of  *^ seasoned  conversation''  and  *^ seized 
conversation."  As  we  practise  this  manner  of 
communing,  it  will  be  said  of  us  what  the 
prophet  wrote  of  the  pious  at  a  time  of  depres- 
sion :  ' '  They  that  feared  the  Lord  spake  one  with 


74  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

another,  and  the  Lord  hearkened  and  heard.'' 
These  faithful  souls  were  confronted  by  a  truly- 
dark  situation — the  priests  had  become  careless, 
the  people  were  lax  in  their  religious  duties,  the 
value  of  the  worship  and  service  of  God  was  ques- 
tioned. But  these  select  spirits  knew  better,  and 
they  were  determined  not  to  surrender  to  harsh 
circumstances  nor  to  severe  criticisms.  They 
thus  conversed  often  with  each  other,  not  about 
their  difficulties  but  rather  about  their  deliver- 
ances, so  graciously  granted  them  by  the  blessed 
God.  There  was  no  pessimistic  strain  which  is 
not  unusual  in  the  modern  prayer  meeting.  There 
was  no  tirade  nor  attack  of  those  who  were  absent. 
They  met  not  to  tear  down  each  other's  faith  or 
to  weaken  fidelity  but  to  inspirit  and  encourage 
one  another  in  every  good  word  and  work.  They 
were  persuaded  that  this  could  be  done  through 
optimistic  confession  of  the  graciousness,  tender- 
ness and  redeeming  love  of  God.  ^'A  friendly 
thought,"  said  Carlyle,  ^*is  the  purest  gift  that 
man  can  afford  to  man."  Where  can  we  obtain 
this  to  such  great  advantage  as  by  rightly  directed 
religious  conversation?  On  this  subject,  Bunyan 
has  an  enlightening  word  in  his  ^' Grace  Abound- 
ing to  the  Chief  of  Sinners."  ^'Upon  a  day  the 
good  providence  of  God  called  me  to  Bedford,  to 
work  at  my  calling;  and  in  one  of  the  streets  of 
that  town  I  came  where  there  were  three  or  four 
poor  women  sitting  at  a  door,  in  the  sun,  talking 


Religious  Conversation  75 

about  the  things  of  God;  and  being  now  willing 
to  hear  their  discourse,  I  drew  near  to  hear  what 
they  said ;  for  I  was  now  a  brisk  talker  in  matters 
of  religion,  but  they  were  far  above  my  reach. 
Their  talk  was  about  a  new  birth,  the  work  of  God 
in  their  hearts,  as  also  how  they  were  convinced  of 
their  miserable  state  by  nature :  they  talked  how 
God  had  visited  their  souls  with  his  love  in  the 
Lord  Jesus,  and  with  what  words  and  promises 
they  had  been  refreshed,  comforted  and  supported 
against  the  temptations  of  the  devil:  moreover, 
they  reasoned  of  the  suggestions  and  temptations 
of  Satan  in  particular ;  and  told  to  each  other  by 
what  means  they  had  been  afflicted ;  and  how  they 
were  borne  up  under  his  assaults.  They  also  dis- 
coursed of  their  own  wretchedness  of  heart,  and 
of  their  unbelief,  and  did  condemn,  slight  and 
abhor  their  own  righteousness  as  filthy  and  insuf- 
ficient to  do  them  any  good.  And  methought  they 
spake  as  if  joy  did  make  them  speak,  with  such 
pleasantness  of  Scripture  language,  and  with  such 
appearance  of  grace  in  all  they  said,  that  they 
were  to  me  as  if  they  had  found  a  new  world — as 
if  they  were  people  that  dwelt  alone,  and  were  not 
to  be  reckoned  among  their  neighbours.''  Notice 
the  spirit  of  faith,  humility  and  joy  in  the  conver- 
sation of  these  pious  women,  and  how  it  affected 
Bunyan  who  was  a  stranger  to  their  blessed  ex- 
perience. These  features  are  not  common  or 
characteristic  of  much  of  our  modern  Christian 


76  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

experience.  Consider  the  note  of  joy  more  par- 
ticularly. We  may  use  the  triumph  song  but 
there  is  little  of  the  triumph  spirit  when  we  sing. 
As  long  as  valiant  souls  could  come  together  for 
mutual  uplift,  they  need  find  no  cause  for  com- 
plaint but  many  reasons  for  gratulation  as  they 
celebrate  the  divine  mercies  which  are  new  every 
morning.  However  untoward  may  be  their  lot  in 
life  they  are  not  exiles  from  God.  Such  kindred 
souls  breathe  the  atmosphere  of  mutual  under- 
standing and  find  solace  in  each  other  ^s  fellowship. 
They  thus  become  equipped  for  the  struggles,  the 
perils,  the  obstructions,  the  disappointments  and 
the  mishaps  which  inevitably  come  to  every  life. 
Their  conversation  was  moreover  so  healthy  be- 
cause they  did  not  evade  the  pressing  issues  but 
dealt  with  essential  facts  and  kept  back  nothing 
for  fear  of  being  censured.  They  did  not  hold  off 
at  arm's  length  in  suspicion,  but  spoke  in  trustful- 
ness and  considered  how  they  might  stir  up  each 
other  to  love  and  good  works.  They  did  not  keep 
their  hearts  under  lock  and  key  and  steel  them- 
selves against  the  approach  of  friendship ;  nor  on 
the  other  hand  did  they  wear  their  heart  on  their 
sleeve  and  let  every  chance  acquaintance  into  its 
sanctities,  which  are  open  only  to  the  initiated. 
Thus  they  talked  freely,  fearlessly  and  fraternally 
with  those  who  were  of  one  accord.  It  was  done 
in  the  name  of  Christian  friendship  and  for  the 
sake  of  Christian  fellowship,  and  they  had  no 


Religious  Conversation  77 

reason  to  regret  their  congenial  associations. 
They  therefore  found  the  promise  repeatedly  ful- 
filled: ^^  Where  two  or  three  are  gathered  together 
in  my  name,  there  am  I  in  the  midst  of  them. ' '  It 
was  the  realised  presence  of  Jesus  Christ  that 
gave  the  tonic  air  which  braced  them  up  for  what- 
ever storm  or  stress  awaited  them.  Ordinary 
men  thus  acted  with  heroic  consecration  to  duty 
and  were  courageously  calm  and  self-possessed  in 
the  face  of  defeat  or  danger.  They  knew  that 
they  had  a  better  possession  and  an  abiding  one 
and  they  held  to  this  confidence  which  had  great 
recompense  of  reward.  It  was  not  surprising  that 
thereby  they  brought  cheer  to  each  other,  since 
they  were  refreshed  and  strengthened  and  made 
glad  in  the  hour  of  felicity  no  less  than  in  the 
hour  of  adversity.  Well  might  they  rejoice  as 
they  sang; 

"My  Saviour  comes  and  walks  with  me, 
And  sweet  communion  here  have  wej 
He  gently  leads  me  by  the  hand, 
For  this  is  heaven's  border  land." 

Viewed  at  its  best,  the  atmosphere  of  the  world 
is  inhospitable  to  spiritual  ideas  and  ideals. 
There  is  much  that  is  depressing  and  demoralis- 
ing and  which  offers  anything  but  the  stimulus 
that  is  so  needed,  especially  in  these  times  of  up- 
heaval, uncertainty  and  disaster.  *^  Taken  all  in 
all,  where,''  asks  Sabatier  in  *' Religions  of 
Authority  and  the  Eeligion  of  the  Spirit, "  '  ^  shall 


yS  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

we  find  a  higher  or  more  universal  school  of  re- 
spect and  virtue  than  in  the  church,  a  more  effica- 
cious means  of  comfort  and  consolation  than  the 
communion  of  brethren,  a  safer  tutelary  shelter 
for  souls  still  in  their  minority.'*  Professor 
McGiff ert  recently  said :  ^  ^  The  church  is  an  engine 
of  untold  moral  and  spiritual  power."  One  way 
by  which  it  can  be  brought  into  active  exercise  is 
by  the  culture  of  religious  conversation.  ^^This 
is  a  difficult  art,'*  writes  Professor  Stalker  in 
*^ Imago  Christ!."  ^^It  must  be  natural — it  must 
well  up  out  of  a  heart  full  of  religion — or  it  is 
worse  than  useless.  Yet  it  is  of  priceless  value, 
and  no  trouble  is  too  great  to  be  spent  in  acquir- 
ing it.  I  am  not  sure  but  we  are  more  in  need 
of  those  who  can  talk  about  religion  than  of  those 
who  can  preach  about  it."  Here  then  is  our  great 
opportunity  for  effective  evangelism.  So  many 
are  afflicted  with  anxiety,  dismayed  by  doubt, 
troubled  by  perplexity,  confused  by  misunder- 
standing, misled  by  false  teaching.  Seek  them 
and  win  their  confidence  and  lead  them  to  the 
fountains  of  living  water. 

"  I  love  to  tell  the  story ; 

More  wonderful  it  seems 
Than  all  the  golden  fancies 
■    Of  all  our  golden  dreams. 
I  love  to  tell  the  story, 

It  did  so  much  for  me; 
And  that  is  just  the  reason 

I  tell  it  now  to  thee." 


CHAPTER  SEVEN 


THE   PEESONAL   TOUCH 


THIS  is  the  day  of  highly  perfected  machin- 
ery when  the  factories  produce  articles  in 
large  abundance.  And  yet  we  must  ac- 
knowledge the  superiority  of  hand-carved  furni- 
ture, hand-made  lace  and  hand-painted  pictures. 
Who  prefers  the  reproduction  of  the  phonograph 
to  the  skilful  playing  of  the  pianist  or  violinist? 
We  admire  the  splendid  building,  so  imposing  and 
architecturally  perfect;  and  yet  the  mason  has 
handled  each  brick  separately  with  trowel  and 
cement ;  the  carpenter  has  driven  each  single  nail 
and  riveted  it  in  place;  the  plumber  has  looked 
after  every  screw  and  joint  in  the  extensive  heat- 
ing plant;  the  electrician  has  cared  for  each 
lamp,  and  all  the  others  who  have  worked  in  and 
around  the  building  have  given  personal  super- 
vision to  their  tasks.  Unless  each  screw  is  true 
and  every  bolt  is  strong,  the  monster  airplane 
must  fatally  fail.  Everyone  thus  recognises  the 
dignity  of  trifles  and  reckons  with  them  at  the 
cost  of  time  and  labour.  We  talk  of  people  in  the 
mass,  collectively  and  generalisingly.  Jesus  al- 
ways talked  of  the  individual  specifically,  and 
never  failed  to  deal  with  each  person  on  his  own 

79 


8o  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

merits.  ^'The  Son  of  man  came  to  seek  and  to 
save  the  lost,''  and  he  sought  them  each  one  at  a 
time.  He  avoided  the  crowds  that  he  might  do 
intensive  work  with  the  individual.  He  thus  gave 
his  hest  to  Nicodemus  and  to  Zaccheus,  to  the 
Samaritan  woman  and  to  Mary  Magdalene.  That 
was  his  consistent  policy.  Although  after  his 
resurrection  he  appeared  to  his  disciples  when 
they  were  gathered  together,  he  also  had  heart- 
to-heart  communings  with  Peter  and  Mary  and 
James  and  others  of  his  followers. 

The  importance  of  the  individual  is  to-day 
accepted  in  strategic  connections.  The  politician 
does  not  forget  the  value  of  the  single  vote  at 
election  time,  even  though  he  may  ignore  it  the 
rest  of  the  year.  The  effective  speaker  does  not 
address  his  entire  audience  but  singles  out  an 
individual  here  and  there,  and  appeals  to  them 
in  a  sort  of  exclusive  way  and  so  wins  the  atten- 
tion and  accord  of  the  rest  of  his  hearers.  Vast 
sums  of  money  are  spent  on  advertising  and  yet 
eighty  per  cent  of  the  successful  business  is 
done  by  personal  solicitation.  Salesmanship  is 
a  science,  nay  it  is  an  art,  even  the  art  of  per- 
suasion. Much  of  its  efficient  working  depends 
on  the  pleasing  personality  of  the  solicitor,  his 
knowledge  of  the  goods  and  of  the  needs  of  the 
prospective  buyer.  All  this  emphasises  the 
significance  of  the  personal  equation.  It  is  also 
necessary  that  we  know  how  to  discriminate  be- 


The  Personal  Touch  8l 

cause  people  are  so  widely  and  radically  differ- 
ent, and  what  appeals  to  one  may  by  reason 
of  temperament  and  associations  fall  flat  on 
another.  The  wife  of  Sir  Edward  Burne-Jones 
once  wrote  of  her  husband:  ^^As  a  rule  Edward 
was  a  little  irritated  by  people  finding  likenesses 
in  one  face  to  another.  ^It  is  difference  not  like- 
ness that  I  see/  he  would  say.'*  All  students  of 
human  life  will  endorse  this  sentiment,  for  they 
understand  and  appreciate  ^*the  sacredness  of 
personality.'' 

Consider  how  the  church  began.  When  An- 
drew and  John  were  won  by  Jesus  on  that  memo- 
rable night,  they  returned  to  their  homes  with  the 
determination  to  convey  to  others  their  convic- 
tions concerning  Christ  the  Messiah.  Andrew 
then  brought  his  brother  Peter  to  Jesus,  and 
John  his  brother  James.  Peter  next  led  Philip 
to  the  Master,  and  Philip  in  turn  guided 
Nathaniel  to  him.  From  that  time  on,  through 
the  Christian  centuries,  the  gospel  has  spread 
through  personal  efforts.  It  has  often  happened 
that  obscure  men  have  brought  to  Jesus  those 
who  became  distinguished,  and  whose  remark- 
able achievements  reacted  gratifyingly  on  their 
little  known  leaders.  Think  of  Joel  Stratton  and 
John  Gough,  George  Warner  and  Gypsy  Smith, 
Edward  Kimball  and  Dwight  L.  Moody,  Harry 
Monroe  and  Billy  Sunday.  As  forcibly  illustrat- 
ing a  chain  of  influences  there  is  the  case  of  Ed- 


82  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

ward  R.  Graves,  the  commercial  traveller,  who 
won  S.  M.  Sayford,  who  then  won  C.  K.  Ober,  who 
in  turn  won  John  R.  Mott,  for  Christ  and  his 
cause.  We  never  know  what  harvest  will  come 
from  the  seed  faithfully  sown.  It  is  the  personal 
touch  that  transmits  the  power  of  the  evangel. 
Much  misunderstanding  and  enmity  must  be  re- 
moved before  the  right  atmosphere  can  be  created, 
in  which  people  will  come  with  the  request :  *^Sirs, 
we  would  see  Jesus."  Many  people  have  curious 
notions  concerning  the  church;  they  think  of  it  as 
an  institution  apart  from  life  and  out  of  sympathy 
with  the  struggles  of  ordinary  folk.  If  these  out- 
siders are  to  be  brought  into  right  relationships, 
it  will  be  due  to  work  done  quietly,  patiently, 
persistently,  generously  by  men  and  women,  who 
are  followers  of  Christ  and  members  of  the  church. 
It  may  sound  trite  and  commonplace  to  say  that 
we  must  have  the  experience  of  Christ's  saving 
grace  and  be  quickened  by  it  to  the  white  heat  of 
enthusiasm  before  we  can  go  out  to  speak  to  others 
of  the  Saviour's  redeeming  love.  But  let  the 
statement  stand,  for  it  is  the  indispensable  con- 
dition of  spreading  the  gospel  of  salvation.  Our 
goodness  must  have  edge  to  it,  if  it  is  to  quicken 
others.  Our  experience  must  be  vivid,  if  it  is  to 
vitalise  others.  Our  convictions  must  be  decided, 
if  they  are  to  persuade  others.  Our  efforts  must 
be  whole-hearted,  if  they  are  to  affect  others.  In 
his  great  book,  **The  Meaning  of  God  in  Human 


The  Personal  Touch  83 

Experience/'  Doctor  W.  E.  Hocking,  says:  **We 
know  religion  when  we  meet  it  in  persons.  We 
are  in  no  need  of  definition  to  guide  our  eyes,  or 
to  help  in  identifying  it.  We  are  perpetually  see- 
ing its  fruits,  or  missing  them,  in  our  neighbours. 
We  are  sensitive  even  to  its  shades  and  degrees; 
aware  of  its  more  or  less,  its  depth,  its  texture,  its 
resistance.''  Again  he  says:  ^'To  see  the  signifi- 
cance of  things  trivial  is  the  prerogative  of  great- 
ness, to  see  everything  as  bearing  upon  the  whole 
is  both  genius  and  happiness,  to  see  all  things 
suh  specie  aeternitatis  is  the  joy  of  religion 
itself."  If  there  is  love  in  the  heart,  it  will  then 
set  you  on  fire  to  become  an  ardent  helper  of  peo- 
ple, in  everything  that  enables  them  to  have  an 
adequate  share  of  *'the  leisure  and  pleasure  and 
treasure  of  life." 

The  familiar  story  of  Philip  and  the  Ethiopian 
eunuch  illustrates  some  of  the  indispensable  quali- 
fications of  successful  personal  work.  Philip  was 
chosen  at  the  same  time  as  Stephen,  to  attend 
to  the  temporal  matters  of  the  church.  But  it  is 
very  significant  that  we  know  hardly  anything  of 
their  financial  and  administrative  abilities.  We 
know  more  of  their  spiritual  labours.  Stephen 
was  the  first  martyr,  impressive  in  speech  and 
forcible  in  persuasion.  Philip  was  an  evangelist 
who  led  in  the  notable  revival  in  Samaria.  They 
were  both  men  ^'of  good  report,  full  of  the  Spirit 
and  of  wisdom. ' '    The  Christian  must  have  a  good 


84  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

reputation  and  be  honourable  in  all  his  trans- 
actions, so  that  the  finger  of  scorn  and  contempt 
cannot  be  pointed  at  him.  He  must  be  consistent 
so  that  his  Christian  profession  will  be  manifest 
in  his  business,  not  only  by  what  he  says  but  also 
by  what  he  does.  Every  Christian  is  an  anti- 
septic— the  salt  of  the  earth — and  no  corruption 
should  be  tolerated  in  his  company,  whether  it  is 
the  sinister  speech  or  the  crooked  deal.  Philip 
furthermore  was  a  man  of  faith.  When  he  heard 
the  voice  commanding  him  to  go  to  the  desert,  he 
obeyed,  nothing  doubting.  It  meant  much  for 
him  to  leave  the  revival  activities  at  Samaria,  and 
go  to  the  lonely  outskirts  of  the  desert ;  but  he  was 
persuaded  that  it  was  a  direction  of  God  and  not 
a  delusion  of  the  devil.  As  the  chariot  ap- 
proached, he  listened  to  the  eunuch  reading  from 
the  prophet  Isaiah,  and  with  exquisite  tact  he  ap- 
proached this  eminent  prince  of  Ethiopia,  and 
obtained  his  consent  to  act  as  his  interpreter  of 
the  prophet's  utterances  concerning  the  suffering 
Messiah.  Philip  was  in  such  harmony  with  the 
divine  Spirit,  that  he  was  able  intuitively  to  un- 
derstand this  man's  needs.  He  was  also  in  sjrm- 
pathy  with  the  eunuch  and  showed  patient  frank- 
ness as  he  led  this  seeker,  step  by  step,  to  Jesus 
Christ. 

Many  objections  which  are  raised  against  per- 
sonal work  are  purely  theoretical.  They  are 
generally  offered  by  those  who  have  neither  a  cor- 


The  Personal   Touch  85 

rect  idea  of  the  purpose  of  the  gospel  nor  a  clear 
experience  of  its  power  in  their  own  lives.  I  do 
not  mean  to  say  that  you  will  be  received  with  a 
welcome  in  every  case,  as  was  the  happy  experi- 
ence of  Philip  with  the  eunuch.  You  may  even 
be  insulted;  but  if  you  have  the  sweetness  and 
sanity  of  Jesus,  you  will  know  how  to  take  these 
slights ;  and  instead  of  being  readily  discouraged, 
you  will  be  spurred  to  continue  and  increase  in  the 
good  work.  If  repelled  and  turned  down  by  one, 
you  may  be  welcomed  by  another.  Be  frank  and 
faithful,  be  true  and  tactful,  be  earnest  and  en- 
lightening, be  friendly  and  interesting,  and  you 
will  surely  have  the  joy  of  winning  people,  one  by 
one,  for  Christ  and  the  kingdom  of  God.  The 
story  of  the  mission  field  is  one  continued  illus- 
tration of  the  indispensable  value  of  the  personal 
touch  in  inducing  non-Christians  to  consider  and 
accept  the  claims  of  Christ.  **The  Life  of  Henry 
Drummond,''  by  George  Adam  Smith  has  several 
chapters,  showing  the  unique  qualities  of  Drum- 
mond  in  dealing  with  enquirers,  not  only  in  con- 
nection with  the  great  mission  of  Moody  but  also 
in  his  own  work  among  college  men.  Principal 
Smith  writes:  *'He  [Drummond]  worked  hard 
in  the  inquiry  rooms,  but  shy  men,  who  would  not 
stand  up  in  a  meeting,  nor  enter  an  inquiry  room, 
waited  for  him  by  the  doors  as  he  came  out,  or 
waylaid  him  in  the  street,  or  wrote,  asking  him 
for  an  interview.    He  took  great  trouble  with 


86  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

every  one  of  them,  as  mucli  trouble  and  interest 
as  if  each  was  a  large  meeting. '^  On  a  man  being 
asked  what  led  him  to  decide  for  Christ,  he  re- 
plied, ^'It  was  the  way  Mr.  Drummond  laid  his 
hand  on  my  shoulder  and  looked  me  in  the  face 
that  led  me  to  Christ.''  This  testimony  throws 
much  light  on  what  Drummond  wrote  in  his  essay 
on  '^Spiritual  Diagnosis."  He  pointed  out  that 
the  Puritan  writers  were  skilled  analysists  of 
human  nature  but  that,  *Hhey  seem  to  have  ap- 
plied their  power  more  in  the  pulpit  than  the  pew. 
They  knew  so  much  about  humanity  that  they  had 
lost  what  of  it  they  had  themselves  in  the  pursuit 
of  it  in  others.  They  were  most  of  them  wanting 
in  that  delicacy  of  handling  which  makes  analysis 
effective  instead  of  insulting ;  and  many  of  the 
Puritans  were  quite  destitute  of  the  foremost 
quality  which  distinguishes  the  successful  diag- 
nosist — respect,  veneration  even,  for  the  soul  of 
another.  A  man  may  be  ever  so  gross  and  vulgar, 
but  when  you  come  to  deal  with  the  deepest  that 
is  in  him,  he  becomes  sensitive  and  feminine. 
Brusqueness  and  an  impolite  familiarity  may  do 
very  well  when  dealing  with  his  brains,  but 
without  tenderness  and  courtesy  you  can  only 
approach  his  heart  to  shock  it.  The  whole  of 
etiquette  is  founded  on  respect;  and  by  far  the 
highest  and  tenderest  etiquette  is  the  etiquette  of 
soul  and  soul.'' 

The  joy  of  personal  work,  only  they  know  who 


The  Personal  Touch  87 

have  served  in  it.  It  was  said  of  Father  Stanton 
of  St.  Alban's,  London,  that  individual  work  lay 
nearest  to  his  hand  and  his  heart,  and  that,  **he 
excelled  in  personal  ministration  to  individual 
souls,  and  especially  to  the  souls  of  men.*^  The 
testimonial  which  was  presented  to  him,  signed  by 
over  three  thousand  six  hundred  men,  contained 
this  striking  sentence:  *^It  has  been  not  only 
the  charm  of  your  speech  which  has  drawn  us  to 
you,  but,  what  is  of  course  of  far  higher  value — 
the  depth  of  reality  of  your  religious  teaching, 
your  devotion  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  your 
conspicuous  ability  to  enter  with  sympathy  into 
our  thoughts  and  needs,  and  into  all  that  which  at 
this  time  makes  faith  and  life  difficult  for  men." 
Sympathy  means  insight  and  understanding  of 
human  needs.  How  divers  these  are!  Each  in- 
dividual case  must  be  studied  separately  and  inde- 
pendently, with  a  view  to  finding  out  the  tempera- 
ment, habits,  preferences  and  aptitudes  of  each 
one.  The  way  to  one  will  be  prepared  by  a 
letter,  to  another  by  making  a  special  appoint- 
ment, to  yet  another  by  invitation  to  a  meal  or  to 
a  religious  service.  In  these  ways  the  point  of 
contact  is  secured.  All  this  means  energy,  toil 
and  sacrifice ;  but  surely  it  is  worth  while  to  have 
the  privilege  of  witnessing  the  coming  of  the  light 
of  heaven  into  a  soul  and  the  expression  of  glow 
upon  the  countenance. 

<<The  greatest  obstacle  to  the  progress  of  the 


88  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

chariot  wheels  of  the  kingdom  of  God  is  the  abso- 
lute indifference  of  the  majority  of  the  people  in 
the  churches. '^  This  from  R.  J.  Patterson  in 
his  book,  ''The  Happy  Art  of  Catching  Men," 
which  is  a  thrilling  record  of  work  for  temperance 
and  clean  manhood,  applies  to  more  than  one  form 
of  Christian  work.  It  is  not  an  exaggerated 
statement  when  placed  by  the  side  of  the  reports 
of  the  Men  and  Religion  Forward  Movement, 
held  a  few  years  ago.  Here  are  a  few  sentences 
that  we  do  well  to  ponder.  ' '  We  could  save  every 
individual  in  this  land  for  Christ  in  two  years  ^ 
time  if  each  of  us  would  win  but  one  a  year.  The 
number  of  church  members  who  engage  in  Chris- 
tian work  of  any  kind  is  deplorably  small. ' '  The 
summons  is  clear  and  imperative,  and  the  call  is 
loud  and  insistent  for  volunteer  workers,  who  will 
give  a  sacrificial  service  and  say,  as  did  the  Master 
of  us  all,  "for  their  sakes  I  sanctify  myself." 
All  through  the  history  of  the  church,  the  profit- 
able contributions  have  come  not  from  the  wealthy 
few  but  from  the  many  poor,  whose  gifts  consisted 
not  only  of  money  but  first  of  their  own  selves. 
Effective  evangelism  is  individual  evangelism,  and 
as  we  realise  the  bigness  of  the  issue,  we  shall  see 
that  "indi\ddual  effort  is  imperative  if  collective 
success  is  to  be  obtained." 

There  are  two  words  in  the  gospels  which  must 
be  emphasised  and  reiterated.  The  first  word  is 
"Come,"  and  find  rest  unto  your  souls.     The 


The  Personal  Touch  89 

second  word  is  '^Go,''  and  disciple  others,  so  that 
they  also  may  obtain  this  rest.  **Come'^  is  an 
invitation  in  the  name  of  the  gospel  of  blessed 
redemption.  *^Go''  is  a  command  for  the  sake 
of  this  same  gospel,  which  offers  its  benefits  to 
everyone,  that  all  may  find  and  receive  the  love 
and  joy  of  God  unto  everlasting  life.  It  has  in 
mind  the  reconstruction  of  the  life  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  also  that  of  society,  in  accord  with  the 
principles  and  the  spirit  of  Jesus.  Where  such 
an  ideal  and  inspiration  are  in  control,  there  will 
be  produced  a  better  type  of  nationalism  and  in- 
ternationalism in  all  their  many-sided  bearings 
on  education,  commerce,  and  the  general  welfare 
of  the  whole  race.  Truly,  ^^how  great  a  forest 
is  kindled  by  how  small  a  fire ! ' ' 

"  Go,  labour  on ;  spend  and  be  spent, 
Thy  joy  to  do  the  Father's  will; 
It  is  the  way  the  Master  went; 
Should  not  the  servant  tread  it  still?" 


CHAPTEE  EIGHT 


THERE  are  two  conceptions  of  the  church. 
One  regards  it  as  an  institution  for  its  own 
members,  a  sort  of  a  family  institution. 
If  it  cares  for  its  own  and  pays  its  bills  and  re- 
sponds to  sundry  appeals  for  charity,  it  has  done 
everything  that  might  be  expected  of  it.  Tiiis 
form  of  self-respect  and  respectability  is  no  doubt 
virtuous  but  it  is  inadequate.  A  church  is  ex- 
pected to  do  much  more  than  the  fraternal  orders, 
which  at  best  are  benevolent  clubs.  The  other 
conception  of  the  church  is  more  in  harmony  with 
the  spirit  of  Jesus,  who  taught  that  his  followers 
should  regard  themselves  as  banded  together  for 
the  benefit  of  the  community  in  which  they  live, 
and  also  not  forget  their  obligations  to  the  large 
world,  which  is  without  God  and  without  hope. 
This  idea  implies  an  excess  of  strength  over  and 
above  what  is  needed  for  home  consumption.  It 
is  true  that  charity  begins  at  home,  but  it  must 
not  remain  there.  The  church  is  a  society  of 
those  who  love  Jesus  Christ  and  are  indebted  to 
him  for  salvation.  Its  members  regard  them- 
selves as  a  redeemed  people,  with  the  redemptive 
and  evangelistic  passion,  impelling  them  to  en- 

90 


''All  at  It  and  Always  at  It''  91 

gage  in  the  work  of  making  God  real,  and  of 
giving  the  spiritual  life  the  place  of  primacy  in 
individual  and  social  relationships. 

When  Jethro  the  priest  of  Midian  visited  Moses, 
the  leader  of  the  Exodus  rehearsed  to  his  father- 
in-law  the  wonderful  works  of  Jehovah,  wrought 
on  behalf  of  the  Israelites.  The  past  was  glo- 
rious with  acts  of  redemption ;  but  the  future  was 
going  to  be  still  more  glorious.  And  so  he  in- 
vited Jethro  to  identify  himself  with  this  promis- 
ing movement,  saying  to  him:  *^Come  thou  with 
us  and  we  will  do  thee  good.  ^ '  When  he  hesitated, 
Moses  appealed  to  him  and  said  that  if  he  did  not 
care  to  enlist  for  his  own  sake,  let  him  do  it  for 
Israel's  sake.  This  won  him.  Can  the  church 
use  this  twofold  appeal  to-day?  Most  assuredly 
it  can.  Its  record  on  the  whole  has  been  satis- 
factory throughout  the  centuries,  but  the  work 
that  it  must  undertake  during  the  coming  days  is 
to  be  far  greater,  out  of  all  proportion  to  anything 
that  has  been  attempted  and  achieved  since  the 
day  of  Pentecost.  And  it  needs  strong  characters 
to  advance  its  interests.  In  what  ways  is  the 
church  to  do  good?  By  giving  a  sense  of  the 
reality  of  God,  by  making  clear  the  spiritual  values 
of  life,  by  imparting  courage  in  the  face  of  heavy 
and  depressing  duties,  by  offering  sympathy  and 
support  in  a  spirit  of  friendship.  All  who  enter 
within  its  sacred  circle  should  at  once  know 
that  here  is  a  company  of  men  and  women,  whose 


92  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

controlling  purpose  in  life  is  to  make  their  churcli 
a  minister  of  grace,  a  distributor  of  kindness,  a 
companion  of  the  discouraged,  an  inspirer  of  the 
weak,  a  guide  to  the  Saviour,  and  a  never-failing 
refuge  to  all  who  desire  God  and  redemption. 
'V^Tiether  the  promise  of  doing  good  is  a  matter 
of  words  and  phrases,  or  whether  it  is  a  matter  of 
deeds  can  soon  be  discovered  by  those  who  accept 
the  invitation  and  enter  within  the  portals  of  the 
church.  If  the  church  fails  here,  it  is  of  doubtful 
advantage,  whatever  else  it  may  do  incidentally 
or  in  eleemosynary  ways.  The  reason  for  this 
lies  in  the  undisputed  fact  that  the  very  genius 
of  Christianity  compels  its  adherents  to  become 
missionaries,  and  to  witness  to  its  benefits  by  word 
and  deed.  The  gospel  is  essentially  social  and 
the  spirit  of  obligation  is  one  of  its  cardinal  fea- 
tures. This  truth  has  lately  found  convincing 
expression  in  the  phrase  '*  social  evangelism, ' ' 
which  addresses  itself  to  the  business,  not  of  sav- 
ing an  occasional  brand  from  the  burning,  but  of 
transforming  all  the  conditions  which  affect  char- 
acter and  of  helping  in  its  freer  and  fuller  de- 
velopment. 

Christianity  operates  as  the  law  of  love,  and 
the  church  is  its  living  exponent.  It  enlists  the 
services  of  every  member  by  the  constraint  of 
this  penetrating  principle  and  lays  upon  each  one 
the  unescapable  responsibility  to  be  influenced  by 
it  and  to  commend  it  in  most  favourable  ways  to 


''All  at  It  and  Always  at  It''  93 

every  person.  John  Wesley's  phrase,  *^A11  at  it, 
and  always  at  it,''  sententiously  expresses  a  vital 
truth.  We  believe  in  the  priesthood  of  all  be- 
lievers. There  is  a  difference  between  clergy  and 
laity  only  as  to  function.  Every  Christian  has 
free  access  to  the  mercy-seat  in  the  name  of  the 
great  Mediator.  Every  Christian  moreover  can 
act  as  a  priest  to  lead  men  to  God.  Thus  John 
Nelson,  mason  and  soldier,  and  John  Hunt,  plough- 
boy,  were  as  much  the  priests  of  God  as  John 
Wesley.  Saul  of  Tarsus  enjoyed  the  priestly  help 
of  Ananias,  Luther  received  that  of  Staupitz, 
Alexander  Maclaren  that  of  Benjamin  Gregory, 
Moody  that  of  his  Sunday  school  teacher.  This 
is  a  privilege  within  the  reach  of  every  Chris- 
tian who  should  take  advantage  of  it  without  pro- 
fessionalism or  officialism,  but  in  a  kindly,  cheer- 
ful and  natural  manner.  We  can  readily  imagine 
the  power  of  a  church  whose  membership  is  dis- 
tinguished by  such  Christian  calibre  and  char- 
acter. 

The  question  of  spiritual  atmosphere  is  mo- 
mentous. Just  as  atmosphere  is  all-important  in 
the  world  of  nature  and  without  it  the  farmer 
must  plough  in  vain,  and  sow  his  seed  for  naught, 
so  also  the  vital  glow  of  spiritual  atmosphere  is 
indispensable  in  the  church,  and  nothing  else  can 
take  its  place.  Now,  atmosphere  is  a  matter  of 
personality.  It  is  created  by  men  and  women, 
who  realise  that,  in  Christ,  they  are  members  one 


94  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

of  another.  People  are  at  times  heard  to  say 
that  they  are  unable  to  go  to  church,  as  long  as  a 
particular  person  attends.  We  may  resent  this 
as  an  excuse  or  a  presumptuous  criticism,  and  tell 
the  objectors  that  the  presence  of  the  persons  to 
whom  they  take  exception  should  not  interfere 
with  their  enjoyment  of  the  worship  of  God.  But 
that  does  not  remove  the  unfortunate  situation. 
Worship  is  a  social  exercise  and  it  thrives  only  in 
a  warm  atmosphere.  The  person  criticised,  if 
deserving  of  it,  lowers  the  spiritual  temperature, 
and  in  his  company  a  disagreeable  feeling  creeps 
over  one,  like  the  slimy  feeling  that  you  have  on 
a  damp,  dull  day,  with  the  chills  running  up  and 
down  your  back.  Just  as  you  do  not  expect  peo- 
ple in  winter  to  come  to  church  and  be  comfortable 
in  a  building  that  is  not  heated,  so  you  must  not 
expect  people,  especially  outsiders,  to  attend 
church  under  circumstances  which  are  both  un- 
desirable and  intolerable. 

The  church  must  be  the  heartiest,  the  friend- 
liest, the  happiest  place  in  the  community. 
Friendship  is  what  the  world  most  needs,  more 
especially  in  these  days  when  hearts  are  being 
tried,  when  the  vision  is  clouded,  when  a  sense  of 
loss  and  bereavement  is  common,  when  a  spirit 
of  foreboding  meets  us  on  every  hand.  Since  the 
church  is  a  brotherhood,  the  members  are  bound 
to  one  another  by  family  ties.  In  the  first  epistle 
to  the  Thessalonians,  which  is  the  earliest  New 


''All  at  It  and  Always  at  It''  95 

Testament  writing,  we  read  that  as  soon  as  the 
people  in  this  city  became  Christian  believers, 
their  relations  to  one  another  underwent  a  radi- 
cal change;  and  this  fact  is  assumed  in  the  way 
the  apostle  addresses  them.  *^  Concerning  love 
of  the  brethren  ye  have  no  need  that  one  write 
untd  you;  for  indeed  ye  do  it  toward  all  the 
brethren.''  Peter  exhorts  in  his  first  epistle: 
^^Be  ye  all  likeminded,  compassionate,  loving  as 
brethren,  tender-hearted,  humble-minded.''  John 
is  very  decided  in  his  first  epistle:  *^We  know 
that  we  have  passed  out  of  death  into  life,  because 
we  love  the  brethren."  **If  any  man  say,  I  love 
God,  and  hateth  his  brother,  he  is  a  liar:  for  he 
that  loveth  not  his  brother  whom  he  hath  seen, 
cannot  love  God  whom  he  hath  not  seen."  All 
these  counsels  are  reflections  of  the  teaching  and 
practice  of  Jesus.  In  the  upper  room,  among  his 
parting  words  to  them  were  these :  *^  A  new  com- 
mandment I  give  unto  you,  that  ye  love  one  an- 
other ;  even  as  I  have  loved  you,  that  ye  also  love 
one  another.  By  this  shall  all  men  know  that  ye 
are  my  disciples,  if  ye  have  love  one  to  another." 
The  reason  why  this  spirit  of  love  is  so  repeatedly 
exalted  is  because  its  practice  is  difficult  and  also 
distinctive  of  the  true  Christian.  This  is  the 
secret  of  genuine  fellowship,  when  souls  hold  com- 
merce with  each  other  and  find  both  pleasure  and 
profit  in  one  another's  company.  How  is  it  in 
actual  life?    Here  is  a  testimony  from  a  represen- 


96  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

tative  minister:  ^^Many  city  churches  are  made 
up  of  people  who  do  not  even  know  one  another, 
and  who  do  not  even  want  to  know  one  another. 
Too  many  village  churches  are  composed  of  people 
who  know  one  another,  and  are  sorry  that  they  do. 
The  weakness  of  the  modern  church  lies  in  its 
dwarfed  affections.  The  shame  of  present-day 
Christianity  is  its  stunted  sympathies.  The  church 
is  rich  in  money,  ideas,  apparatus,  numbers,  but 
poor  in  love.''  From  Doctor  C.  E.  Jefferson  in 
his  volume,  *'The  Building  of  the  Church,''  let 
us  turn  to  a  representative  layman,  G.  W.  Pepper, 
in  his  Yale  Lectures,  ^'A  Voice  from  the  Crowd." 
He  writes :  '  ^  The  man  in  the  pulpit  may  do  much 
to  hasten  a  revival  of  the  spirit  of  democracy 
within  the  church  by  reiterating  our  Lord's  plain 
teachings  upon  this  subject.  But  after  all  it  rests 
with  the  man  in  the  pew  to  eliminate  snobbishness 
from  congregational  life  and  to  make  democracy 
once  more  a  test  of  discipleship."  A  writer  in  a 
recent  issue  of  ^^The  Hibbert  Journal"  refers  to 
conditions  in  Great  Britain  which  are  not  unlike 
those  in  the  United  States.  ^'Few  of  us,  whether 
in  church  or  chapel,  are  prepared  to-day  for  the 
invasion  of  our  churches  by  the  ^poor'  in  any 
temper  of  mind.  If  they  were  animated  by  the 
inward  urge  of  fresh  energy  and  responsibility 
for  the  common  good,  would  not  such  an  invasion 
be  even  more  appalling  to  us?  Our  churches 
stand  very  empty,  but  that  is  not  our  greatest  mis- 


''All  at  It  and  Always  at  It''  97 

fortune.  It  is  that  so  many  who  are  in  them  are 
keen  to  cry  to  the  poor  that  they  must  not  seek 
to  better  their  conditions,  that  *the  kingdom  of 
God  is  not  eating  and  drinking,  but  righteousness 
and  peace  and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,'  while  they 
eat  and  drink  to  their  fill  of  the  best  every  day, 
not  only  material  food,  but  of  the  feast  of  beauty 
and  of  knowledge,  and  of  all  worldly  delight,  and 
will  not  face  the  fact  that  half  the  brethren  of 
their  own  nation — the  brethren  for  whom  Christ 
died — are  destroyed  by  their  meat/*  The  prac- 
tice of  hospitality  is  fast  getting  to  be  one  of  the 
lost  arts  of  the  church.  This  may  be  partly  due 
to  our  manner  of  living  in  flats  and  apartments, 
which  do  not  permit  the  social  amenities  of  life. 
A  more  vital  reason  is  that  the  right  temper  is 
absent.  We  do  well  to  heed  the  counsel  of  the 
writer  of  the  epistle  to  the  Hebrews:  *^ Never 
forget  to  be  hospitable,  for  by  hospitality  some 
have  entertained  angels  unawares.**  Such  a 
spirit  is  to  be  shown  in  our  homes  and  in  our 
churches  with  sanguine  cordiality,  and  the  proba- 
bilities are  that  we  shall  have  experiences  similar 
to  that  suggested  by  the  sacred  author.  A  failure 
of  these  winsome  graces  must  of  necessity  compel 
the  church  to  limp  along  under  the  severest 
limitations. 

Our  first  business  then  is  to  Christianise  the 
church,  and  make  it  more  Christlike.  A  revival 
of  the  elemental  virtues  of  the  Christ  life  are  im- 


98  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

peratively  desired.  This  would  be  the  best  sort 
of  advertisement  that  a  church  can  possibly  have 
in  a  community.  It  is  a  farce  to  have  the  words, 
** Friendly  Church,"  printed  on  the  bulletin  board 
outside,  unless  the  reality  is  exemplified  by  those 
inside.  One  test  of  a  church's  usefulness  is  that 
of  the  opinion  of  the  community  concerning  it. 
What  do  the  non-church  goers  think  of  us?  Or 
have  we  become  such  a  negligible  quantity  that 
they  do  not  think  of  us  at  all?  Assuredly  in 
every  church  there  are  faithful  souis ;  but  our  pur- 
pose must  be  to  increase  this  number  and 
strengthen  the  leaven  of  loving-kindness.  This 
work  summons  our  best  powers,  to  which  every- 
one should  consecrate  ability  and  time.  The 
smug  self-satisfaction  of  the  average  church- 
member  is  pathetic.  Not  many  have  really 
grasped  the  meaning  of  discipleship,  which  means 
to  take  up  the  cross  daily  and  to  follow  Christ. 
Most  of  them  think  that  they  have  discharged 
their  obligations  when  they  attend  the  church  ser- 
vice, provided  nothing  else  interferes,  and  when 
they  contribute  to  the  support  of  the  work,  ac- 
cording to  their  inclinations.  Bishop  McDowell, 
in  his  Yale  Lectures,  '^Good  Ministers  of  Jesus 
Christ, '^  laid  bare  the  cause  of  our  present  malady 
in  two  forceful  sentences.  '^The  churches  in  any 
town  are  marked  by  the  calmness,  the  self-re- 
straint, the  ordinariness  of  their  consecration,  the 
humdrum  of  their  life,  the  lack  of  daring  and 


''All  at  It  and  Always  at  It'^  99 

heroism  in  their  adventure,  and  the  occasionalness 
and  conservatism  of  their  positive  devotion.  One 
does  not  like  to  speak  of  the  vast  and  paralysing 
unconsciousness  of  Jesus  the  Redeemer  and  Lord 
of  life  which  pervades  the  churches  that  bear  his 
name,  the  unconsciousness  of  him  which  permits 
people  to  go  on  day  by  day  as  if  he  were  not/' 
Let  the  faithful  rouse  themselves  to  a  sense  of 
their  exacting  responsibility  and  take  no  rest  from 
prayer  and  from  toil,  until  the  church  shall  always 
and  everywhere  do  the  work  of  evangelism. 

It  is  acknowledged  by  everyone  that  the  minis- 
ter must  be  a  pastor  and  keep  in  close  touch  with 
his  people  and  be  quickly  at  their  side  in  times  of 
trouble.  Doctor  R.  F.  Horton  in  his  moving 
**  Autobiography, ''  refers  to  this  part  of  minister- 
ial work  in  most  impressive  terms.  *  *  Often  I  have 
visited  for  four  or  fiYe  hours  at  a  time,  until  I 
was  quite  spent,  and  my  tongue  could  do  no  more. 
For  twenty  years  I  have  kept  up  this  practice. 
.  .  .  For  some  unexplained  reason  this  part  of  a 
minister 's  work  is  always  laborious  and  uncongen- 
ial, and  a  thousand  excuses  are  at  hand  for  sur- 
rendering it.  But  facing  it  invitd  Minerva,  week 
by  week  for  many  years,  I  have  come  to  regard  it 
as  the  indispensable  function  of  successful  church 
work.''  But  there  is  another  side  to  this  ques- 
tion which  must  be  reckoned  with  in  order  that 
success  may  be  complete.  Pastoral  work  must 
also  be  undertaken  by  the  members  of  the  church, 


lOO  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

and  visits  made  in  the  homes,  not  only  of  those 
who  are  congenial,  but  also  of  those  who  are  not 
quite  so  agreeable.  If  preachers  find  it  to  be 
arduous,  the  laity  will  not  find  it  to  be  different, 
but  it  is  the  kind  of  work  that  is  worthwhile  and 
which  has  rich  compensations.  **If  ye  love  them 
that  love  you,  what  reward  have  ye?  do  not  even 
the  publicans  the  samef  As  Christians,  it  is 
our  privilege  to  love  the  unlovely,  and  to  do  good 
to  both  the  just  and  the  unjust,  for  we  pattern 
our  lives  after  the  higher  standards  of  our 
Heavenly  Father.  Think  of  some  of  the  benefits 
from  such  work.  Some  have  got  out  of  the  way 
of  coming  to  church.  An  informal  visit  from  one 
or  two  church  members  will  at  least  get  them  to 
feel  that  they  are  not  forgotten,  and  it  may  rouse 
them  to  a  sense  of  their  negligence  and  -win  them 
back.  Others  are  sick  or  in  difficulty  of  one  sort 
or  another.  It  is  expected  that  the  minister  will 
visit  them,  but  it  is  not  supposed  that  anyone 
else  will  do  so.  All  the  more  reason  why  a  call 
of  sympathy  and  friendship  will  be  welcome. 
Some  feel  that  they  are  slighted  or  that  they  are 
not  wanted,  and  that  nobody  cares  for  them,  be- 
cause perchance  they  are  poor  and  cannot  give 
much.  Naturally  they  are  sensitive  and  need  at- 
tention. Then  there  are  people  who  move  from 
one  town  to  another,  who  often  lose  interest  in 
the  church  in  their  new  place  of  residence.  Their 
support  might  be  enlisted  by  a  friendly  visit.     Let 


''All  at  It  and  Always  at  It''  loi 

the  stranger  be  made  welcome  into  our  church 
home,  not  only  when  he  happens  to  attend  but 
before  he  does  so  and  afterwards.  What  a  won- 
derful uplift  will  come  into  the  lives  of  these  folk 
by  the  quiet  and  interested  notice  which  they  re- 
ceive. Be  pleasant  and  do  not  act  like  Job's 
comforters.  If  you  go  to  the  sick,  do  not  add  to 
their  troubles  by  discussing  the  ills  of  life  and 
going  into  all  manner  of  blood-curdling  details. 
Always  remember  that  you  are  a  representative 
of  Jesus  Christ  and  his  church.  Have  the  evan- 
gelical temper  and  graces.  Show  the  joy  of  the 
Christian  life. 

What  a  fine  opportunity  will  thus  be  given  you 
to  speak  a  word  for  the  church  and  also  put  in  a 
plea  for  the  Saviour,  as  the  occasion  may  suggest 
and  your  common-sense  may  direct.  How  often 
we  hear  it  said  that  the  only  time  church  people 
make  visits  is  when  they  want  cake  or  cash !  This 
gives  the  impression  that  the  church  is  a  parasite 
living  on  others,  when  it  really  should  be  a  friend 
living  for  others.  In  such  a  campaign  of  visita- 
tion it  is  generally  best  for  two  to  go  together,  to 
guard  against  discouragements.  This  was  the 
plan  when  the  seventy  were  sent  forth,  and  it  had 
good  results.  In  this  way  we  can  talk  up  the 
church,  and  it  will  become  favourably  known  as 
friendly  and  sociable,  made  up  of  members  who 
are  actually  interested  in  people  for  their  own 
sake.     Such  a  church  can  exercise  an  extensive 


I02  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

influence  in  the  community.  Its  power  will  in- 
crease from  more  to  more  as  its  members  are 
quickened  by  the  fires  of  faith,  the  allegiance  of 
loyalty  and  the  enthusiasm  of  friendship,  to  min- 
ister to  the  needs  of  people.  The  demands  for 
such  service  will  multiply  after  the  war,  so  that 
now  is  the  time  to  get  ready. 

"  0  Master,  let  me  walk  with  thee 
In  lowly  paths  of  service  free; 
Teach  me  thy  secret;  let  me  bear 
The  strain  of  toil,  the  fret  of  care. 

Help  me  the  slow  of  heart  to  move 
By  some  clear,  winning  word  of  love; 
Teach  me  the  wayward  feet  to  stay, 
And  guide  them  in  the  homeward  way." 


CHAPTER  NINE 


THE    NEEDED   REVIVAL. 


4  NY  reference  to  revivals  generally  brings 
r\  to  mind  methods  of  appeal  with  their  emo- 
tional accompaniments.  We  think  of  ex- 
citement and  commotion  and  eager  urgency,  with 
exhibitions  of  hysteria,  animated  singing,  vigor- 
ous exhortations,  altar  services,  enquiry  rooms, 
raising  of  hands  for  prayer,  and  other  expressions 
which  have  been  invariably  associated  with  re- 
vival meetings.  There  also  come  to  mind  the  in- 
evitable reactions,  after  the  physical,  mental  and 
spiritual  strain  and  the  tragic  lapses  of  those  who 
made  the  profession  but  had  not  the  stability  for 
fidelity.  Such  a  season  of  summer  heat  is  accept- 
able to  many,  who  prefer  its  continuance  the  year 
round.  They  forget  that  just  as  a  single  season 
is  not  good  for  the  world  of  nature,  so  also  it  is 
unfavourable  to  growth  in  the  spiritual  world. 
They  seem  to  be  like  Peter  who  desired  to  remain 
on  the  Mount  of  Transfiguration,  not  realising 
that  that  was  a  special  experience  to  fit  him  and 
the  other  disciples,  as  well  as  the  Master,  for  the 
difficult  duties  at  the  foot  of  the  mountain.  The 
temporary  upheaval  of  a  revival  is  necessary  at 
different   periods.     The   church   has   repeatedly 

103 


I04  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

fallen  from  the  levels  of  spiritual  experience  and 
activity,  which  should  be  its  normal  condition. 
Such  decadence  and  lethargy  are  due  to  many 
causes.  Jesus  anticipated  these  depressions,  and 
earnestly  called  on  his  disciples  to  watch  and  pray, 
lest  they  yield  to  the  temptations  of  ^^the  world, 
the  flesh  and  the  devil. '*  Failure  to  resist  evil 
produces  spiritual  paralysis.  Concentrated  ef- 
forts must  then  be  put  forth  to  arrest  the  attention 
of  people  who  have  become  religiously  indifferent 
or  have  got  into  a  rut,  or  are  careless,  that  they 
might  turn  their  thoughts  towards  a  godly  man- 
ner, living  worthy  of  the  gospel  of  redemption. 
The  influence  of  such  revival  activities  is  on 
record.  In  the  eighteenth  century.  New  England 
was  the  scene  of  a  remarkable  movement  under 
the  quiet  but  intense  preaching  of  Jonathan 
Edwards,  when  vast  multitudes  were  stirred  and 
quickened  and  turned  to  God  for  mercy.  So  pro- 
found were  the  effects  of  this  revival  that  the  fire 
leaped  across  the  ocean  and  roused  Great  Britain. 
John  Wesley  himself  was  deeply  moved  as  he  read 
the  story  of  this  extraordinary  outburst  of  re- 
ligious fervour  and  zeal.  The  evangelical  revival 
in  England  was  another  notable  movement,  which 
followed  on  the  heels  of  the  work  inaugurated  by 
the  Wesleys,  Wliitefield  and  their  colleagues. 
Another  of  the  historic  revivals  was  in  Kentucky, 
which  swept  men  of  the  vilest  character  into  the 
kingdom  of  God  and  cleansed  social  conditions 


The  Needed  Revival  105 

which  were  like  the  Augean  stables.  Yet  another 
of  these  ^^imes  of  refreshing'^  came  with  Moody 
and  Sankey,  who  conducted  great  missions  in  the 
United  States  and  Great  Britain,  leaving  per- 
manent results,  not  only  in  quickened  lives,  but  in 
institutions  like  the  Northfield  schools  and  sum- 
mer conferences,  the  Student  Volunteer  movement 
and  other  forms  of  Christian  advance.  There 
have  been  other  revivals  operating  on  a  smaller 
scale,  but  their  characteristics  have  been  about  the 
same  as  the  wider-reaching  manifestations  of  the 
divine  Spirit.  It  is  true  that  in  many  cases  the 
appeal  was  to  the  emotions.  The  feelings  of  fear 
were  roused  by  the  emphatic  declarations  concern- 
ing death,  judgment  and  punishment,  and  the  in- 
sistent call  to  an  immediate  surrender  to  Christ, 
on  peril  of  eternal  disaster.  The  preaching  of 
hell  was  not  always  of  the  gruesome  type  of 
Jonathan  Edwards,  although  some  modern  evan- 
gelists would  not  hesitate  to  endorse  the  very 
words  of  the  Northampton  preacher:  ^^The  God 
that  holds  you  over  the  pit  of  hell,  much  as  one 
holds  a  spider  or  some  loathsome  insect  over  the 
fire  abhors  you.  It  is  nothing  but  his  hand  that 
holds  you  from  falling  into  the  fire  every  moment ; 
it  is  to  be  ascribed  to  nothing  else  that  you  did 
not  go  to  hell  last  night;  and  there  is  no  other 
reason  why  you  have  not  dropped  into  hell  since 
you  arose  in  the  morning.''  It  is  a  strange  sort 
of  Christian  who  would  rejoice  with  Edwards, 


io6  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

who  said:  ^^The  sight  of  hell  torments  will  exalt 
the  happiness  of  the  saints  for  ever;  it  will  give 
them  a  more  lively  relish. ' ' 

To  speak  of  hypnotic  suggestion  is  not  to  belittle 
the  revival  but  rather  to  seek  a  clearer  under- 
standing of  it.  Many  have  responded,  under  the 
spell  of  the  atmosphere  created  by  the  revivalist, 
stirred  by  the  decisions  made,  and  the  ecstatic 
jubilations  of  those  who  entered  into  peace 
and  joy.  The  movement  thereby  gathered  force 
by  the  multiplication  of  converts.  In  not  a  few 
cases,  the  physical  excitement  was  neither  ethical 
nor  spiritual;  and  this  explains  why  some  lost 
their  grip  and  fell  into  a  worse  state  than  they 
were  before  they  came  under  the  influence  of  the 
revival.  What  Principal  George  Adam  Smith 
wrote  of  the  work  of  Moody  and  Sankey,  in  his 
**Life  of  Henry  Drummond,''  applies  equally  well 
to  other  protracted  meetings.  ^^Tliis  mission 
lifted  thousands  and  tens  of  thousands  of  persons 
already  trained  in  religion  to  a  more  clear  and 
decided  consciousness  of  their  Christianity.  It 
baptised  crowds  in  the  Spirit  of  Jesus  and  opened 
the  eyes  of  innumerable  men  and  women  to  the 
reality  of  the  great  facts  of  repentance  and  con- 
version, to  the  possibility  of  self-control  and  of 
peace  by  God^s  Spirit.  We  have  admired  the 
organisation  of  its  converts.  The  young  men 
who  came  under  its  influence  are  now  in  middle 
life,  and  to-day  one  can  point  to  ministers  in  many 


The  Needed  Revival  107 

churches,  and  to  laymen  in  charge  of  the  munici- 
pal and  social  interests  of  almost  every  town, 
who  were  first  roused  to  faith  and  first  enlisted  in 
the  cause  of  God  and  of  their  fellow-men  by  the 
evangelists  of  1873-75/'  On  the  other  hand,  there 
were  some  undesirable  features.  *'The  idealism 
of  the  movement,  the  emphasis  which  it  laid  on 
general  principles  and  the  speed  with  which  mul- 
titudes were  aroused  to  the  conviction  of  these, 
conspired  with  the  general  excitement  to  destroy, 
in  a  certain  class  of  minds,  all  sense  for  facts,  and 
to  corrupt  their  conscience  for  accuracy/'  One 
serious  temptation  of  this  sanguine  evangelical- 
ism was  *'to  ignore  all  religious  experience  which 
lay  outside  the  definite  theology  of  the  movement, 
and  a  stubborn  refusal  to  recognise  the  manifest 
fruits  of  God's  Spirit  apart  from  the  formulas 
and  processes  by  which  its  converts  had  arrived 
at  the  truth.  .  .  .  The  Spirit  of  our  God  works 
among  us  in  many  other  ways  than  by  *  revivals' 
and  church  services,  and  the  evangelical  move- 
ment which  Messrs.  Moody  and  Sankey  did  so 
much  to  reinforce  has  required  every  iota  of  the 
influence  of  science  to  teach  it  tolerance,  accuracy 
and  fearlessness  of  facts,  and  all  the  strength  of 
the  socialist  movement  to  reawaken  within  it  that 
sense  of  civic  and  economic  duty  by  which  the 
older  evangelicalism  of  Wilberforce,  Chalmers 
and  Shaftesbury  was  so  nobly  distinguished."  No 
one  would  call  this  an  unfair  criticism. 


io8  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

All  things  considered,  it  must  be  acknowledged 
that  this  particular  type  of  revival  exercises  a 
limited  influence  at  the  present  day.  Even  the 
Welsh  revival  which  was  the  most  significant  of 
recent  years  produced  very  disappointing  results. 
In  proportion  to  the  efforts  expended,  with  the 
extensive  preliminary  advertising  and  prepara- 
tion, most  of  the  modern  evangelistic  campaigns 
have  produced  very  disappointing  fruit.  It  is  not 
that  this  method  of  conversion  is  discredited,  so 
much  as  it  is  really  ineffectual.  Let  us  beware  of 
the  ^^ wretched  apotheosis  of  custom  which  has 
throttled  the  growth  of  Christ's  Kingdom  on 
earth,  more  than  all  unbelief  put  together.'* 

"  New  times  demand  new  measures  and  new  men, 
The  world  advances,  and  in  time  outgrows 
The  laws  that  in  our  father's  days  were  best; 
And  doubtless,  after  us,  some  purer  scheme 
Will  be  shaped  out  by  wiser  men  than  we, 
Made  wiser  by  the  steady  growth  of  truth." 

At  the  risk  of  being  misunderstood,  it  must  be 
said  that  one  of  the  most  serious  perils  of  the 
modern  church  comes  from  the  abnormal  invasion 
by  evangelists.  It  is  an  appeal  to  the  spectacular 
and  the  sensational,  with  methods  that  are  not 
only  artificial,  but  which  savour  far  too  much  of 
cant  and  claptrap.  An  evangelist  had  been  se- 
cured for  a  town.  The  usual  preliminaries  being 
over,  the  people  began  to  pray,  and  at  their  meet- 
ings decisions  for  Christ  coromenced.    "When  the 


The  Needed  Revival  109 

evangelist  heard  of  it,  he  promptly  wired  the  com- 
mittee :  ^^Hold  the  work  in  check  till  I  come.'*  If 
the  efforts  pnt  forth  by  Christian  people,  prior  to 
the  coming  of  the  evangelist,  were  given,  under 
the  leadership  of  their  own  pastors  and  infused 
by  prayer,  we  believe  that  greater  and  more  per- 
manent results  would  be  secured.  The  fact  is 
that  a  revival  cannot  be  worked  up;  it  must  be 
prayed  down. 

Let  us  however  not  conclude  that  the  day  of 
revivals  is  over.  A  different  kind  of  spiritual 
awakening  has  also  appeared  at  several  periods 
in  the  church's  history.  It  has  not  only  been 
more  comprehensive  in  its  appeal  but  more  con- 
structive in  its  effects.  It  has  not  been  marked 
by  spasmodic  undertakings,  at  high  pressure,  but 
it  has  gone  forward  according  to  the  law  of  de- 
velopment by  a  series  of  consecutive  and  consis- 
tent efforts  from  day  to  day.  Those  who  prefer 
the  method  of  revolution  with  its  violent  dis- 
turbances may  not  be  satisfied  with  the  course 
of  evolution.  Both  have  nevertheless  operated  in 
the  world,  and  the  method  of  evolution  has  really 
achieved  more  than  that  of  revolution.  This  is 
increasingly  in  evidence,  even  in  these  days  of  the 
War  and  of  cataclysmic  events.  It  moreover  calls 
for  definite  conditions.  "We  have  seen  in  previous 
chapters  that  the  church  is  at  a  low  ebb  spiritually. 
There  is  much  movement  without  momentum.  The 
practice  of  prayer  is  considered  as  of  doubtful 


no  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

value.  The  necessity  for  Christian  unity  is  con- 
ceded by  all  but  when  it  comes  to  a  practical  ex- 
pression, so  many  difficulties  raise  their  heads, 
inspired  by  bigotry,  ecclesiasticism,  social  differ- 
ences and  the  like.  The  day  of  genuine  fellow- 
ship, determined  by  spiritual  affinity,  is  thus 
indefinitely  postponed.  We  have  only  to  think 
of  industrial  and  civic  conditions  to  see  what  a 
veritable  jungle  of  undergrowth  must  be  cleared 
away  before  we  can  think  of  Christian  fraternity 
in  the  all-round  terms  of  Jesus.  The  miseries  of 
the  poor  are  intolerable  and  an  affront  to  Chris- 
tianity. The  situation  thus  calls  for  radical 
changes  and  speedy  redress  in  the  matter  of 
environment  and  other  influences  which  tell  on 
character  and  destiny.  With  the  vision  of  a 
prophet.  Bishop  Franklin  Spencer  Spalding  re- 
peatedly emphasised  the  imperative  demand  for 
the  recognition  of  this  truth.  He  once  said: 
*^  Behind  all  the  movement  for  social  uplift  outside 
the  religious  organisations  to-day,  is  a  philosophy 
which  is  as  yet  unappropriated  by  the  church,  and 
yet  which  is,  I  believe,  true.  It  is  based  upon 
the  fact  that  environment  has  most  to  do  with 
the  making  of  the  product,  and  that  therefore  the 
chief  work  of  any  organisation  desiring  success 
must  be  to  create  right  conditions."  Other 
leaders  of  thought,  with  equal  force  have  declared 
the  same  truth  and  the  phrase,  *' social  evangel- 
ism/' points  to  the  direction  in  which  the  needed 


The  Needed  Revival  ill 

revival  of  religion  will  find  one  of  its  manifes- 
tations. 

Indeed,  the  very  content  of  the  Christian  mes- 
sage must  be  reconsidered  and  restated,  in  view 
of  the  radical  changes  in  the  world  of  thought  and 
life.  *^ Invective  and  condemnation,''  says  Henry 
Churchill  King,  ^*do  not  answer  questions,  nor 
does  mere  dogmatic  repetition  of  old  forms  of 
statement.  To  keep  now  the  same  great  Chris- 
tian truths  real  to  ourselves,  and  to  be  able  to 
make  them  real  to  others,  we  must  have  some 
degree  of  restatement."  We  may  protest  as  we 
please  against  the  fantastic  religious  cults  of  our 
time,  but  we  cannot  deny  that  they  came  into 
existence  and  continue  to  flourish  because  the 
church  had  not  kept  pace  with  the  changes  created 
by  science,  psychology,  philosophy  and  social 
ethics.  The  signal  principle  of  development, 
known  as  the  law  of  evolution,  has  revolutionised 
thought.  Doctor  Frank  Ballard  in ' '  The  Rational 
Way  to  Spiritual  Revival,"  well  says:  ^^The  plea 
for  growth  is  the  only  true  conservatism ;  because 
there  is  no  other  possible  way  of  preserving  what 
of  value  has  been  handed  down  to  us. ' '  The  truth 
of  the  Fatherhood  of  God  has  received  much  light 
from  the  science  of  comparative  religion,  which 
makes  all  the  more  noteworthy  the  teaching  of 
Jesus.  If  we  accept  it  fully  and  apply  it  honestly, 
our  understanding  of  mankind  will  be  radically 
changed,  our  attitude  to  our  fellows  will  become 


112  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

fraternal  and  the  falsities  and  inconsistencies  of 
many  of  our  practices  will  be  exposed.  We  will 
further  see  that  sin  is  defiance  of  the  law  of  love, 
under  which  all  must  live,  who  acknowledge  the 
Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  Brotherhood  of  man. 
Loyalty  to  the  Master  whom  we  serve  will  con- 
strain us  to  uphold  his  leadership  and  control  in 
every  sphere  of  life.  The  simplicity  of  the  Chris- 
tianity of  the  New  Testament  is  so  refreshingly 
unlike  the  complications  of  theological  and  ecclesi- 
astical Christianity,  that  we  must  often  strain 
more  than  a  point  to  see  wherein  the  two  are 
related.  The  essence  of  the  Christian  message 
really  consists  of  a  spiritual  disposition,  whose 
ardent  devotion  to  God  is  equalled  by  a  zealous 
service  of  man,  in  the  name  of  the  one  Mediator 
and  only  Saviour  Jesus  Christ.  The  Christian 
life  is  a  growth  in  grace  and  knowledge.  An  in- 
crease of  the  knowledge  of  God  and  of  life  will 
then  deepen  the  evangelical  experience  and  pro- 
duce a  character  of  developing  Christlikeness, 
which  will  insistently  and  consistently  make 
Christ  the  common  centre  of  unity,  the  fruitful 
generator  of  vitality  and  the  inspiring  creator  of 
personality. 

The  variety  of  Christian  types  is  due  to  the 
differences  of  temperament.  Some  are  prevail- 
ingly emotional,  others  are  of  the  intellectual  cast, 
while  not  a  few  are  volitional.  It  is  a  common- 
place of  thought  that  no  two  people  are  alike,  and 


The  Needed  Revival  113 

yet  how  often  this  elemental  +ruth  is  overlooked 
when  the  appeal  is  made  foi  Christiai)  decision. 
**By  their  fruits  they  shall  be  known/ ^  constitutes 
the  final  test  of  worth.  As  long  as  it  can  be  satis- 
fied, it  makes  little  difference  whether  the  conver- 
sion was  the  result  of  emotionalism,  rationalism 
or  volitionalism.  What  matters  it  if  one  comes 
into  the  kingdom  by  a  sudden  conversion,  or  an- 
other enters  by  a  gradual  change  I  They  are  both 
the  works  of  divine  grace.  If  two  liners  enter 
port  and  are  securely  anchored,  the  one  that  had 
a  tempestuous  voyage  may  receive  more  sym- 
pathy but  not  any  more  approval  than  the  other 
one  which  had  a  relatively  calm  voyage.  The 
attempt  to  standardise  the  Christian  life,  as  to  its 
emotional  manifestations,  is  to  turn  away  from 
the  essential  to  the  incidental.  Such  a  tendency 
might  well  expose  one  to  the  censure  of  Jesus, 
who  spoke  of  those  shortsighted  folk,  *^who  strain 
out  the  gnat  and  swallow  the  camel. ' '  There  can 
never  be  any  uniform  Christian  experience,  any 
more  than  there  is  any  depressing  uniformity  in 
nature.  *^The  communion  of  saints  is  not  merely 
the  reproduction  but  the  verification  of  experi- 
ence.'' If  we  can  be  delivered  ^^from  the  tyranny 
of  the  subjective  and  emotional,''  there  will  come 
to  us  a  larger  toleration  of  forms  of  religious  life 
unlike  ours.  God  who  shows  his  versatility  in  the 
realm  of  nature  is  also  gloriously  versatile  in  the 
regions  of  grace.     Let  us  then  salute  everyone 


114  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

who  has  the  marks  of  Christ,  regardless  of  the 
place  and  the  manner  in  which  they  received  them. 
Such  is  the  opulence  of  divine  grace. 

The  results  of  the  revival  here  considered  are 
calculated  to  affect  human  life  in  its  entirety.  The 
Reformation  protested,  in  the  interest  of  individ- 
ualism, against  'Hhe  excessive  solidarity  char- 
acteristic of  the  medieval  mind."  The  pendulum 
has  since  swung  to  the  other  extreme,  and  now  we 
are  called  upon  to  accentuate  the  rights  and  duties 
of  the  individual  in  his  social  relations  with  other 
individuals.  It  is  the  summons  to  Christianise 
the  social  order,  which  means,  in  the  words  of 
Professor  Rauschenbusch,  ^'bringing  it  into  har- 
mony with  the  ethical  convictions  which  we  iden- 
tify with  Christ. '^  It  must  begin  with  making 
more  of  the  corporate  life  of  each  local  church  as 
a  Christian  fraternity,  and  of  co-operation  with 
other  churches  in  the  community,  to  make  vivid 
and  real  the  message  and  mission  of  Jesus  Christ 
through  his  followers,  who  have  consecrated  them- 
selves to  the  work  of  influencing  and  directing 
their  several  communities  towards  God  and  good- 
ness, with  all  that  it  implies  of  justice,  purity, 
honour,  for  the  sake  of  humanitarianism.  The 
processes  by  which  these  desirable  blessings  are 
to  be  reached  will  not  be  cataclysmic  but  construc- 
tive. They  will  work  from  within  and  not  be 
operations  from  without.  Less  will  be  made  of 
emotionalism  and  more  of  education,  in  the  nur- 


The  Needed  Revival  115 

ture  and  culture  of  the  virtues  and  graces  which 
adorn  character  and  beautify  conduct.  Spasmodic 
efforts  need  not  therefore  be  discounted.  There 
will  continue  to  be  a  place  for  such  activities,  at 
least  until  the  leaven  of  Christian  truth  has 
moulded  society.  We  shall  however  rely  far 
more  earnestly  on  the  attempts  to  awaken  people 
to  a  sense  of  the  realities,  the  vitalities,  the  rich 
privileges  and  the  large  responsibilities  of  de- 
voted Christian  living. 

The  more  popular  revival  practices  may  doubt- 
less stop  the  leakage  in  the  church  for  a  time; 
but  they  really  evade  the  problem  how  to  secure 
steady  and  continuous  accessions  of  those  who 
will  not  only  enter  the  church  but  remain  in  it,  to 
live  ** soberly,  righteously  and  godly,''  and  walk 
worthy  of  their  vocation  as  fully-fledged  Chris- 
tians. But  if  we  are  to  make  headway  in  these 
healthy  directions,  there  must  be  a  quickening  of 
faith  in  God  the  Holy  Spirit,  who  speaks  not  with 
the  accent  of  the  first  century  or  the  eighteenth 
century,  but  of  the  twentieth  century,  urging  us  to 
face  all  the  facts  and  make  the  conditions  for  the 
favourable  coming  of  God  to  a  world,  distracted 
and  desolated  by  war  and  by  the  godless  passions 
of  men.  Let  our  preparation  make  us  more  sensi- 
tive to  the  leadings  of  the  divine  Spirit.  We  shall 
then  be  purged  of  prejudice,  informed  in  mind  as 
to  our  own  times,  enlightened  in  spirit  as  to  the 
needs  and  strengthened  to  accept  the  challenge 


Ii6  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

and  make  it  possible  for  Christ  to  have  the  pre- 
eminence. ' '  There  are  diversities  of  gifts,  but  the 
same  Spirit.  And  there  are  diversities  of  min- 
istrations and  the  same  Lord.  And  there  are 
diversities  of  workings,  but  the  same  God,  who 
worketh  all  things  in  all.'' 

"  The  old  order  changeth,  yielding  place  to  new, 
And  God  fulfils  himself  in  many  ways. 
Lest  one  good  custom  should  corrupt  the  world." 


CHAPTER  TEN 

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that  it  can  be  studied  in  different  ways. 
This  library  of  sixty-six  books  is  made  np 
of  every  type  of  literature — history,  biography, 
poetry,  drama,  letters,  essays,  proverbs,  parables. 
It  deals  with  as  many  subjects  as  are  of  interest 
to  men — philosophy,  psychology,  sociology,  proph- 
ecy, prayer,  praise,  as  they  touch  on  the  su- 
preme question  of  religion.  The  Bible  is  pre- 
eminently the  book  of  religion.  It  is  the  record 
of  the  self-disclosure  of  God  to  man,  of  the  re- 
sponse of  man  to  God  and  of  the  resulting  respon- 
sibility between  men  in  their  individual,  social, 
national  and  international  relationships.  Think 
of  the  Bible  as  biography,  and  it  excels  in  the 
analysis  of  character,  taking  note  not  only  of  *Hhe 
greater  men  and  women,''  but  also  of  the  lesser 
known,  who  belong  to  the  rank  and  file.  Think  of 
it  as  history,  and  you  find  in  its  pages  the  gradual 
unfolding  of  the  life  of  nations,  particularly  of 
one  nation,  in  everything  that  concerns  their  best 
welfare.  Think  of  it  as  a  volume  of  devotion, 
and  nowhere  can  you  find  more  rapturous  utter- 
ances of  the  human  spirit,  in  its  ascent  towards 

117 


Il8  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

the  mount  of  vision  and  triumph.  The  Bible  has 
only  recently  been  recognised  as  a  missionary 
book,  proclaiming  the  consolation  of  humanity,  in 
notes  of  conviction  and  assurance.  It  is  also  the 
book  of  revivals  and  reformations,  and  a  most 
profitable  study  of  it  can  be  made  on  this  subject. 
Those  interested  in  literature  can  obtain  from  the 
Bible  far  greater  benefits  than  from  the  ancient 
classics,  as  Moulton  has  so  conclusively  shown  in 
his  suggestive  volume,  ^^The  Literary  Study  of 
the  Bible.''  This  aspect  of  it  can  be  supplemented 
with  great  advantage  by  a  study  of  the  influence 
of  the  Bible  on  literature,  which  impressively 
demonstrates  that  these  writings  of  power  have 
moulded  the  world's  civilisation.  This  fact  is 
finely  discussed,  with  special  reference  to  English- 
speaking  peoples,  in  ^'The  Bible  in  English  Lit- 
erature," by  Doctor  E.  W.  Work.  Our  study  of 
the  Bible,  from  whatever  point  of  view,  will  be 
limited,  unless  we  learn  to  regard  it  as  the  revela- 
tion of  the  purpose  of  God  for  the  redemption  of 
humanity.  It  is  ^^the  record  of  the  pre-eminent 
meetings  of  God  with  men,  and  the  direct  reflec- 
tions of  the  supreme  revelation  in  Christ." 

It  would  save  us  considerable  difficulty  if  we 
regard  this  select  literature  from  its  own  stand- 
point. Many  of  our  troubles  with  the  Bible  are 
due  to  inadequate  theories,  which  have  not  reck- 
oned with  all  the  facts.  Thanks  to  the  devoted 
labours  of  modern  scholarship,  we  are  learning 


The  Indispensable  Book  119 

that  questions  of  date,  authorship  and  literary 
composition  are  incidental,  and  do  not  affect  the 
vital  truths.  The  critical  study  of  the  Bible  does 
not  lessen  our  appreciation  and  reverence  of  it, 
any  more  than  botanical  study  would  give  us  less 
pleasure  and  profit  from  flowers  and  plants.  In 
fact,  as  a  result  of  constructive  Biblical  criticism, 
we  have  a  bigger  and  better  Bible,  because  we 
have  a  clearer  conception  of  the  development  of 
spiritual  truth,  from  its  dim  beginnings  in  pre- 
historic times  up  to  the  perfect  revelation  in  Jesus 
Christ.  President  H.  C.  King  reminds  us  that, 
**  every  life  of  Christ  worth  reading,  outside  the 
gospels,  has  been  written  since  1835,''  when  the 
fruits  of  critical  scholarship  began  to  be  reaped. 
Its  significance  is  that,  ^^this  generation  has  given 
to  the  life  of  Christ  such  direct,  painstaking,  his- 
torical study  as  the  world  has  never  before  seen ; 
and  as  a  consequence  we  are  able,  to  an  extent 
not  true  of  any  preceding  generation,  to  put  the 
life  of  Christ  into  its  real  historical  setting — 
political,  intellectual,  social,  moral  and  religious 
— and  so  to  understand  more  certainly  the  precise 
meaning  of  his  acts  and  of  his  teaching.''  An- 
other significant  benefit  is  that  since  the  divine 
revelation  came  through  the  human  experience  of 
elect  souls,  who  had  high  commerce  with  God,  the 
Bible  must  be  judged  in  terms  of  life  and  not  of 
logic.  This  means  a  great  deal  because  religion 
is  a  personal  matter;  and  the  experience  which 


I20  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

grows  out  of  it,  is  rich  and  vigorous,  in  the  meas- 
ure of  the  direct  fellowship  with  God. 

The  Bible  then  is  a  criterion  from  experience, 
giving  us  a  standard  by  which  to  regulate  our 
own  lives.  On  the  other  hand,  it  is  tested  by 
human  experience.  We  acknowledge  its  author- 
ity where  it  finds  and  satisfies  the  needs  and 
desires  of  our  heart.  But  of  course,  we  remember 
that  our  best  experience,  at  any  stage,  is  limited, 
with  vast  possessions  of  spiritual  blessing  yet  to 
be  appropriated.  We  shall  however  find  that  at 
every  advance  the  Bible  maintains  its  leadership. 
We  have  found  some  parts  of  this  precious  volume 
more  attractive  because  more  helpful  than  other 
parts.  Without  hardly  being  aware  of  it,  we  ac- 
cept one  of  the  canons  of  criticism  and  treat  the 
book  with  historical  and  spiritual  perspective. 
For  instance,  literary  experts  first  declare  as  to 
the  distinction  of  Shakespeare,  Milton,  Goethe, 
Emerson,  Browning  and  other  leading  lights  of 
literature;  but  their  word  alone  is  not  final. 
These  writers  have  won  their  place  by  reason  of 
intrinsic  merit,  which  is  recognised  by  the  people 
at  large.  In  the  same  way,  the  authority  of  the 
Bible  is  not  finally  determined  by  the  findings  of 
councils  or  the  conclusions  of  scholars,  but  by  the 
consensus  of  testimony  of  Christian  men  and 
women,  who  have  used  the  book  and  find  in  their 
own  experience  that  it  has  met  their  needs.  In 
this  sense,  the  Bible  must  be  discovered  by  each 


The  Indispensable  Book  1 21 

generation  for  itself.  We  must  not  depend  on 
tradition  although  this  voice  of  the  past  is  not 
to  be  discarded.  Just  as  second-hand  religion  is 
worthless,  for  purposes  of  testimony,  so  the  ac- 
ceptance of  the  Bible  as  the  Word  of  God,  on 
the  strength  of  ecclesiastical  verdicts,  carries  no 
weight,  unless  we  have  found  out  for  ourselves 
that  it  is  *'a  lamp  unto  our  feet  and  light  unto 
our  path. ' '  It  is  the  personal  note  that  gives  such 
force  to  the  meditations  and  prayers  of  the  Golden 
Psalm  which  has  reference  to  the  law.  But  what 
is  true  of  the  one  hundred  and  nineteenth  psalm 
as  a  testimony  from  experience  is  equally  true  of 
the  whole  Bible,  whose  real  worth  is  endorsed  by 
living  witnesses.  Well  might  Sabatier  say:  **It 
is  the  book  above  all  books,  light  of  the  conscience, 
bread  of  the  soul,  leaven  of  all  reforms.  It  is  the 
lamp  that  hangs  from  the  arched  roof  of  the  sanc- 
tuary, to  give  light  to  those  who  are  seeking  God. 
The  destiny  of  holiness  on  earth  is  irrevocably 
linked  with  the  destiny  of  the  Bible. ' ' 

The  chief  use  of  the  Bible  is  for  the  culture  of 
the  religious  life  and  the  growth  of  character. 
Protestantism  does  not  make  as  much  of  books  of 
devotion  as  does  Roman  Catholicism.  The  reason 
is  that  the  Bible  is  its  pre-eminent  book  of  devo- 
tion. ^' Every  Scripture  inspired  of  God  is  also 
profitable  for  teaching,  for  reproof,  for  correction, 
for  instruction  which  is  in  righteousness :  that  the 
man  of  God  may  be  complete,  furnished  completely 


122  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

unto  every  good  work.''  Such  a  service  has  been 
rendered  by  the  Bible  wherever  its  voice  has  been 
heard;  but  we  are  compelled  to  confess  that  it  has 
often  been  muffled.  Phillips  Brooks  correctly  ob- 
served that,  '^religious  people  read  thin,  super- 
ficial books  of  religious  sentiment,  but  do  not  meet 
face  to  face  the  strong,  exacting,  masculine  pages 
of  their  Bibles."  The  most  subtle  dangers  to 
which  the  church  is  exposed  come  from  ignorance 
of  the  Bible.  There  is  no  other  substitute  as  an 
aid  to  the  best  growth  in  character  and  influence. 
*'I  have  been  seriously  perplexed  to  know,''  said 
Professor  Huxley,  ^^how  the  religious  feeling 
which  is  the  essential  basis  of  conduct  can  be  kept 
up  without  the  use  of  the  Bible."  Doctor  R.  F. 
Horton  once  remarked,  ^^It  is  the  unhappy  de- 
lusion of  the  church  that  it  knows  the  teaching 
of  Jesus."  How  we  can  call  ourselves  the  dis- 
ciples of  the  Master  and  yet  have  so  confused  an 
understanding  of  his  truth,  is  not  only  marvellous 
but  tragic.  Herein  is  one  reason  why  such  a  small 
percentage  of  Christians  bear  their  testimony  in 
personal  work  to  lead  others  to  Christ.  If  we  are 
familiar  with  the  redemptive  purpose  of  God  as 
interpreted  by  prophets  and  apostles,  an  increas- 
ing appreciation  of  its  message  will  inevitably 
constrain  us  to  share  the  blessings  of  salvation 
with  others. 

Wlierever  the  Bible  is  read  with  enlightenment 
and  earnestness,  there  cannot  be  damage  from 


The  Indispensable  Book  123 

sectarianisms  and  fanaticisms.  All  the  fantastic 
and  one-sided  cults  are  based  on  erroneous  con- 
ceptions of  the  method  and  character  of  revela- 
tion. History  is  treated  as  allegory,  prophecy 
is  confused  with  mantic  prognostications,  num- 
bers are  made  to  unravel  unfathomable  mysteries, 
apocalypse  is  regarded  with  gross  literalness. 
Alas,  the  Bible  is  still  read  by  those  who  wrest  it 
to  their  own  confusion  and  undoing.  The  Holy 
Spirit  was  not  promised  to  give  us  the  truth  but 
to  lead  us  into  the  truth.  Such  illumination  does 
not  dispense  with  the  exercise  of  our  own  facul- 
ties, but  makes  it  all  the  more  obligatory  that  we 
use  reason,  conscience,  heart  and  will  in  becom- 
ing directly  and  practically  acquainted  with  the 
oracles  of  God.  We  hold,  at  least  in  theory,  that 
an  intelligent  and  regular  study  of  the  Book  is 
vital  to  Christian  life,  but  the  fact  is  that  the 
personal  use  of  the  Bible  is  far  from  common 
among  us.  We  treat  it  with  respect,  and  praise 
it,  and  present  it  as  gifts  bound  in  morocco  with 
gilt  edges.  We  give  it  a  central  place  on  the 
parlour  table  and  even  have  a  vase  of  flowers  upon 
it.  All  this  is  ornamental  but  not  useful,  and 
nothing  really  worth  while  comes  out  of  it.  For- 
tunately, this  is  not  the  only  sort  of  treatment 
which  is  meted  out  to  the  Book  of  life. 

When  the  apostle  Paul  was  driven  out  of  Thes- 
salonica,  he  went  to  the  neighbouring  town  of 
Berea.      Here  he  was  given  a  cordial  welcome. 


124  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

The  atmosphere  was  cahn  and  judicious,  free  from 
ignorant  antagonism.  '^  These  were  more  noble 
than  those  in  Thessalonica,  in  that  they  received 
the  word  with  all  readiness  of  mind,  examining 
the  Scriptures  daily,  whether  these  things  were 
so.  Many  of  them  therefore  believed.''  The 
reference  is  to  the  word  of  the  gospel,  telling  of 
Jesus  the  Messiah  and  of  his  work  of  redemption 
from  sin.  The  spirit  and  attitude  of  these  people 
are  worthy  of  our  imitation  in  the  use  of  the 
Bible,  which  in  a  large  sense  is  the  Word  of  God. 
The  Bereans  were  noble  in  character;  they  were 
serious,  open-minded,  unprejudiced,  seeking  the 
truth  and  ready  to  welcome  it  from  whichever 
source  it  came.  The  fact  that  Paul  and  Silas 
were  not  ecclesiastically  authorised  made  no  dif- 
ference to  these  enquirers.  It  was  more  impor- 
tant to  give  attention  to  what  they  said,  especially 
as  there  was  a  note  of  conviction  and  confidence 
in  their  speech.  **I  will  hear  what  God  the  Lord 
will  speak,''  is  a  good  resolution  with  regard  to 
the  Bible,  for  it  implies  willingness  to  give  time 
and  thought  to  its  study  in  all  of  its  bearings. 
When  Paul  wrote  to  the  Thessalonian  Christians, 
he  exhorted  them  to  ^^  prove  all  things,  hold  fast 
that  which  is  good."  Just  as  the  Bereans  gave 
themselves  to  examination  of  the  Scriptures  of 
the  Old  Testament,  so  should  we  treat  the  whole 
Bible.  *^ God's  message  to  the  human  soul,"  to 
quote  the  apt  title  of  a  discerning  volume  by 


The  Indispensable  Book  125 

Doctor  John  Watson,  challenges  our  most  cordial 
consideration.  Like  the  truth,  it  is  not  afraid  of 
the  light  because  it  is  not  clad  in  the  garments 
of  darkness. 

There  are  some  necessary  qualifications  which 
are  demanded  of  every  Bible  student,  (a)  Intel- 
ligence must  be  shown  by  the  exercise  of  thought 
and  the  cultivation  of  memory.  Intellectual  effort 
of  the  best  is  none  too  good,  to  understand  the 
mind  of  God  which  is  expounded  in  the  Bible,  and 
which  has  been  made  accessible  to  us  by  the 
great  scholars  of  the  church.  (b)  Confidence 
must  be  given  to  the  testimony  of  the  Scriptures. 
Think  of  the  noble  company  of  men  and  women 
who  were  directed,  comforted  and  inspired  to 
faithful  living,  as  they  accepted  the  promises, 
heeded  the  precepts  and  followed  the  program  for 
world  redemption,  found  in  the  Bible.  This  book 
has  never  failed  anyone,  the  leading  scholars  and 
historians  being  witness  thereto;  and  their  ver- 
dicts have  been  confirmed  by  the  saints,  who  in  a 
question  like  this  always  have  the  last  word,  (c) 
Perseverance  is  another  quality  to  be  cultivated. 
The  Bible  must  be  read  daily.  It  is  like  the 
manna  which  had  to  be  gathered  day  by  day.  It 
is  like  the  mercies  of  God  which  are  new  every 
morning.  Those  v/ho  know,  declare  that  the  regu- 
lar study  of  the  Book  brings  spiritual  replenish- 
ment and  refreshment,  unlike  that  obtained  from 
any  other  book,     (d)  The  whole  Bible,  if  read  at 


126  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

the  rate  of  a  chapter  a  day,  can  be  finished  in  two 
years  and  nine  months.  But  we  are  not  concerned 
in  getting  through  the  book  so  much  as  getting  its 
ideas  and  ideals,  in  order  that  they  might  govern 
our  lives.  No  haphazard  reading  will  do  this,  but 
only  a  plan  of  study  can  secure  the  best  results. 
There  must  be  what  Bishop  Handley  C.  G.  Moule 
called  continuous  **under-surface''  study  of  the 
Bible,  or  what  an  ancient  writer  described  as 
*^ burrowing  in''  the  Word  of  God.  Read  it  in 
sympathy  with  its  high  ideals  and  be  inspired  by 
them.  Read  it  with  reverence,  intent  on  hearing 
the  voice  of  God  who  speaks  directly  through  its 
pages.  Read  it  intensively.  Take  the  gospel  of 
Mark  or  the  epistle  of  James  and  concentrate  on 
it,  till  you  understand  its  thought  and  are  pos- 
sessed by  its  spirit.  Read  it  historically.  If  you 
select  the  first  part  of  Isaiah,  find  out  the  social, 
political  and  religious  conditions,  with  the  help  of 
such  a  volume  like  that  by  George  Adam  Smith  in 
the  Expositor's  Bible  series.  You  will  then  not 
only  understand  the  burning  message  of  the 
prophet  but  also  understand  how  to  apply  it  to 
your  own  life  and  times.  If  you  select  the  epistle 
to  the  Galatians,  learn  of  the  temperament  and 
circumstances  of  that  people  and  the  temptations 
before  which  they  fell,  as  discussed  by  Adeney  in 
the  New-Century  Bible  series  or  by  Dods  in  his 
** Introduction  to  the  New  Testament."  You 
will   then   appreciate   the   vigorous    appeals    of 


The  Indispensable  Book  127 

the  apostle  and  know  liow  to  apply  the  teachings 
of  this  letter  to  the  life  of  nominal,  impulsive  or 
steady  Christians  in  the  modern  church.  Of 
course,  this  method  of  study  means  work,  but  then 
no  one  has  ever  stumbled  upon  truth.  The 
promise  is  **seek  and  ye  shall  find.''  This  is 
true  of  discoverers  like  Columbus,  Stanley  and 
Nansen;  of  scientists  like  Faraday  and  Darwin; 
of  naturalists  like  Audubon  and  Burroughs;  of 
inventors  like  Edison  and  Marconi.  It  is  also 
true  of  those  who  investigate  in  the  spiritual 
realm,  whether  they  are  conspicuous  Biblical 
scholars  like  A.  B.  Davidson,  Frances  Brown,  S. 
R.  Driver,  J.  H.  Moulton  or  ordinary  folk  like  the 
most  of  us.  (e)  To  all  these  qualifications,  we 
must  add  the  practice  of  prayer.  The  Bible  is  a 
spiritual  book  and  its  teachings  can  be  spiritually 
discerned  only  by  those  who  have  the  devotional 
frame  of  mind  to  recognise  the  presence  of  God, 
not  only  in  the  pages  of  the  Scriptures,  but  also 
in  the  life  of  every  day.  Such  an  approach  to  the 
Bible  will  lead  to  the  discovery  of  untold  riches, 
which  are  there  to  be  mined  by  those  who  employ 
determination,  diligence  and  devotion,  (f )  Let  it 
be  further  said  that  how  much  to  study  or  how 
to  study  largely  depends  on  individual  circum- 
stances. You  may  observe  the  morning  watch 
or  the  evening  hour.  It  makes  little  difference 
whether  you  get  your  lunch  at  a  buffet  counter  or 
seated  at  a  table,  so  long  as  your  hunger  is  satis- 


128  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

fied.  The  same  is  true  as  to  feeding  your  soul 
from  day  to  day,  which  may  be  done  on  the  train, 
in  the  boat  or  in  the  quiet  of  your  home.  Be  sure, 
however,  that  you  are  really  nourished. 

A  knowledge  of  the  Bible  is  a  wonderful  help 
in  times  of  need.  When  you  are  dismayed,  think 
of  Elijah's  experience;  when  perplexed,  recall  the 
guidance  given  to  Abraham;  when  answers  to 
prayer  are  delayed,  remind  yourself  of  Jesus  in 
Gethsemane  or  Paul  supplicating  for  the  removal 
of  the  thorn  in  the  flesh;  when  religiously  indif- 
ferent or  at  a  low  state  of  spiritual  temperature, 
turn  to  the  Psalms,  or  the  gospels,  or  the  book  of 
Acts  which  tell  of  the  enthusiasm  of  the  early 
Christians  in  the  face  of  harsh  handicaps.  One 
argument  for  the  excellence  of  the  Bible  is  that 
sermons  on  Shakespeare,  Browning,  Tennyson 
and  current  topics  quickly  run  their  course.  But 
preaching  which  is  based  on  the  Bible  never  palls, 
and  we  never  fail  to  rejoice  in  the  unadulterated 
riches  of  the  wisdom  and  love  of  God.  In  review- 
ing his  ministry  of  thirty  years,  Doctor  John 
Watson  said  that  he  found  that  while  people  ap- 
preciate literature  in  the  preachers,  they  do  not 
desire  literature  for  the  subjects  of  the  pulpits; 
and  that,  ^' while  they  do  not  undervalue  infor- 
mation on  the  Bible,  they  are  ten  thousand  times 
more  grateful  for  the  inspiration  of  the  book.'' 
Yet  another  argument  is  that  every  great  revival 
has  been  preceded  by  a  rediscovery  of  the  Bible 


The  Indispensable  Book  129 

and  the  placing  of  it  in  the  hands  of  the  laity. 
John  Wycliffe  with  his  popular  translation  of  the 
Scriptures  was  a  terror  to  corrupt  ecclesiastics. 
John  Huss  made  vigorous  onslaughts  on  Roman- 
ism with  the  aid  of  the  Bible.  The  edition  of  the 
Greek  New  Testament  by  Erasmus  was  a  mighty 
weapon  in  the  hands  of  Luther.  The  German 
translation  by  the  great  reformer  himself  helped 
considerably  in  the  spread  of  the  principles  of 
Protestantism.  Tyndale  's  version  of  the  English 
Bible,  followed  by  the  King  James  version  pre- 
pared the  way  for  the  evangelical  revival.  And 
last  but  not  least,  the  work  of  our  modern  scholars 
has  made  it  possible  for  us  to  see  the  manifold 
message  of  the  Book,  that  it  contains  much  more 
than  a  ^^few  lines  of  evangelical  doctrine  and 
special  providence*';  and  to  believe  with  Pastor 
Eobinson,  when  he  declared  to  the  Pilgrim 
Fathers,  ^'i  am  convinced  that  the  Lord  hath  yet 
more  light  and  truth  to  break  forth  from  his  holy 
Word. ' '  The  revivals  of  religion  of  a  former  day 
wrought  graciously  among  the  common  people. 
This  is  another  way  of  saying  with  Rousseau: 
^'  'Tis  the  people  that  compose  the  human  race; 
what  is  not  people  is  so  small  a  concern  that  it 
is  not  worth  the  trouble  of  counting. '*  John 
Morley  quotes  this  sentence  in  his  ** Recollec- 
tions, *'  and  adds,  ^^  Bright  put  the  same  civilising 
truth  in  homelier  words  w^ien  he  reminded  us  that 
great  halls  and  baronial  castles  do  not  make  a 


130  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

nation:  the  nation  in  every  country  dwells  in  the 
cottage. ' '  This  is  the  cardinal  teaching  of  democ- 
racy, so  decidedly  set  forth  in  the  Book  of  the 
evangel.  Well  might  it  be  said  that,  ^^the  Bible 
is  the  true  panacea  for  a  corrupt  Christianity  and 
the  best  bulwark  of  a  holy  religion.''  Become 
familiar  with  its  message.  Be  faithful  to  its  man- 
dates. Bear  its  truths  to  others.  Give  it  a  full 
chance,  and  it  shall  yet  win  trophies  for  the 
Saviour  and  Lord  of  us  all. 


"  Welcome  dear  book,  soul's  Joy  and  Food !     The  feast 
Of  Spirits:  Heav'n  extracted  lyes  in  thee. 
Thou  art  life's  Charter,  The  Dove's  spotless  nest 
Where  souls  are  hatch'd  unto  Eternitie. 

In  thee  the  hidden  stone,  the  Manna  lies; 

Thou  art  the  great  Elixir  rare  and  Choice  j 
The  Key  that  opens  to  all  Mysteries, 

xTie  Word  in  Characters,  God  in  the  Vofce;"" 


CHAPTER  ELEVEN 

THE   EVANGELISTIC  TEACHEE 

THE  Sunday  school  is  one  of  the  greatest 
agencies  of  the  church  for  the  cultivation 
of  the  Christian  life.  Its  work  is  done 
chiefly  among  those  who  normally  are  most  re- 
ceptive to  the  Christian  appeal.  About  eighty 
per  cent  of  those  who  make  confession  of  Christ 
are  under  twenty-five  years  of  age.  Most  of  them 
are  between  the  years  of  twelve  and  eighteen. 
Eighty  per  cent  of  those  who  have  joined  the 
church  came  from  the  Sunday  school.  But  here 
is  the  arresting  fact  that  it  is  only  twenty  per 
cent  of  the  members  of  the  school  who  have  taken 
this  stand.  Many  who  drop  out  of  the  school 
belong  to  the  critical  period  of  life,  between  twelve 
and  twenty-one,  when  life  decisions  made  are  most 
decisive,  and  when  youth  sorely  needs  counsel 
and  guidance.  Through  failure  of  the  Sunday 
school  at  this  strategic  place,  many  who  reach  the 
parting  of  the  ways  are  lost  to  the  church.  If 
they  are  to  be  won  back  at  all,  it  is  through  the 
intensive  efforts  of  revival  activity,  with  its  good 
and  evil  associations.  A  business  that  regularly 
fails,  where  most  profit  is  expected,  is  clearly  con- 

131 


132  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

ducted  on  a  wrong  basis.      This  chronic  leakage 
betrays  lack  of  efficiency  and  economy. 

There  are  many  reasons  for  this  alarming  sit- 
uation. The  chief  one  is  that  the  church  has  not 
yet  grasped  Christ  ^s  conception  of  childhood.  He 
held  that  all  children  belong  to  God.  Brushing 
aside  the  officious  interference  of  his  disciples  on 
one  occasion,  he  said:  ^* Suffer  the  little  children, 
and  forbid  them  not  to  come  unto  me :  for  of  such 
is  the  Kingdom  of  heaven.''  Bishop  William 
Taylor  was  in  accord  with  this  sentiment  of  the 
Master,  when  he  held  up  an  African  child  before 
an  American  audience  and  said,  ^' There  are  no 
heathen  children."  He  meant  that  by  nature 
none  of  them  are  aliens  from  God,  and  that  it 
is  we  who  by  our  ignorance  and  neglect  alienate 
them  from  the  heavenly  Father.  ^'The  child 
should  grow  up  a  Christian,  and  never  know  him- 
self as  being  otherwise.''  So  wrote  Horace  Bush- 
nell  in  his  thought-provoking  book,  ^^  Christian 
Nurture."  His  idea  was  that  our  purpose  must 
be  not  to  save  children  for  God,  but  to  keep  them 
for  God  all  their  days.  To  be  sure,  we  accept  this 
theory  but  our  practice  contradicts  it  and  so  we 
belittle  the  importance  of  conserving  child  life 
and  we  wait  until  adult  age  before  putting  forth 
earnest  efforts  to  win  them  for  Christ.  Children 
recognise  Jesus  as  their  Friend  and  receive  him 
as  such.  The  aim  of  religious  education  must 
then  be  to  reconstruct  the  purpose  of  each  child, 


The  Evangelistic  Teacher  133 

in  harmony  with  his  growing  Christian  intelli- 
gence and  experience.  This  means  that  there  will 
be  a  progressive  renewing  of  the  mind,  a  strength- 
ening of  the  will  and  the  forming  of  good  habits. 
All  this  will  react  on  the  character  and  conduct 
of  the  pupil.  This  method  further  implies  the 
cultivation  of  life  relationships  in  the  name  of  our 
Father  and  Saviour,  whose  purpose  of  redemptive 
love  to  all  mankind  is  thus  shared  by  us.  This 
quiet  way  is  doubtless  not  spectacular,  and  the 
achievements  may  not  be  chronicled  to  the  satis- 
faction of  ardent  statisticians.  But  it  is  the  final 
result  that  counts,  and  those  with  the  long  vision 
are  the  ultimate  winners. 

It  is  a  commonplace  that  the  leaders  of  to- 
morrow are  in  the  schools  to-day.  If  the  better 
type  of  leadership  is  to  be  produced,  it  will  depend 
on  the  instruction  and  influence  there  wielded. 
Wlio  can  say  what  far-reaching  results  will  be 
produced  by  your  scholars'?  When  the  Sunday 
school  teacher  led  Robert  Morrison  to  Christ,  that 
obscure  worker  did  not  realise  that  the  first  step 
was  taken  to  open  China  for  the  gospel.  The 
teacher  who  led  Moody  to  the  Saviour  had  no 
idea  of  the  vast  harvest  of  souls  which  would  be 
gathered  by  the  evangelist.  Well  might  we  accept 
the  statement  in  the  book  of  Daniel,  according  to 
the  marginal  reading  in  the  Revised  Version: 
*^The  teachers  shall  shine  as  the  brightness  of  the 
firmament :  and  they  that  turn  many  to  righteous- 


134  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

ness  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever."  The  orig- 
inal reference  is  to  the  pious,  the  martyrs  and  the 
genuine  leaders  of  religion :  but  we  can  apply  the 
sentiment  with  equal  force  to  teachers  in  the 
Sunday  school.  The  solution  of  our  problem  then 
virtually  lies  with  the  teacher,  who  has  a  rare 
opportunity  in  the  service  of  the  kingdom  of  God. 
What  the  school  is  depends  in  large  measure  on 
the  character  and  qualifications  of  the  teacher. 
He  who  has  the  requisite  ability,  which  is  the 
result  of  training,  inevitably  raises  the  standards 
of  the  school.  One  with  purpose  and  program 
naturally  brings  others  to  share  the  vision  of 
possibility  and  achievement.  One  who  is  conse- 
crated to  Christ  and  interested  in  the  church  will 
know  both  the  subject  of  study  and  the  object  of 
instruction,  which  is  the  pupil.  Such  a  person 
will  follow  the  pedagogical  method  of  precept 
upon  precept,  line  upon  line,  here  a  little,  there 
a  little :  and  thereby  find  in  the  course  of  the  years 
the  structure  of  Christian  character  growing  in 
balanced  and  beautiful  proportions.  Such  a 
teacher  is  not  an  artisan  or  day  labourer  insist- 
ing on  immediate  pay  and  prompt  returns;  he  is 
an  artist  with  an  informed  and  inspired  imagina- 
tion, who  builds  well  to-day  and  can  afford  with 
patience  to  await  the  decision  of  the  future.  Good 
seed  cannot  fail  of  a  harvest. 

It  is  certainly  a  severe  indictment  on  the  inade- 
quate religious  education  imparted  by  the  church, 


The  Evangelistic  Teacher  135 

when  a  report  like  this  can  be  made  in  a  recent 
volume:  '^Religious  Training  in  the  School  and 
Home,"  by  Sneath,  Hodges  and  Tweedy.  **Many 
of  our  boys  and  girls  grow  up  believing  that  re- 
ligion has  no  intrinsic  and  necessary  place  in  real 
life.  Those  who  champion  it  are  to  their  minds 
peculiar  and  erratic,  not  quite  normal.  The 
supernatural,  to  use  that  much  abused  word,  be- 
comes to  them  almost  synonymous  with  the  super- 
stitious. Anything  which  is  tinged  with  the  mys- 
tical, w^hich  cannot  be  reasoned  out  logically  and 
plotted  geometrically  and  proved  scientifically,  is 
negligible  if  not  queer.  Religion  may  belong  to 
sainthood,  but  they  have  no  desire  to  be  saints,  at 
least  the  kind  with  which  art  and  story  have  made 
them  familiar.  The  life  of  Jesus  is  not  synony- 
mous with  their  ideal.  In  fact,  the  real  Christ  is 
to  them  practically  unknown.  Their  conception 
of  him  is  as  unlike  the  original  as  the  paintings 
of  the  early  Italian  school  or  the  drawings  in  the 
catacombs.  The  Master  appears  in  their  eyes  as 
the  wan  ascetic,  the  sentimental  dreamer,  the 
heavenly  herald  of  an  impractical  code  of  ethics, 
and  a  teacher  of  a  theological  system  which  the 
world  has  outgrown.  Naturally  the  church  for 
them  ceases  to  function.  It  is  a  social  club,  a 
purveyor  of  pious  platitudes,  apparently  a  com- 
fort and  a  joy  to  the  select  few  who  are  emotion- 
ally excitable  and  mentally  incredulous.  But  for 
practical  men  of  the  world,  for  all  thinkers  fa- 


136  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

miliar  with  science  and  philosophy,  it  may  safely 
be  allowed  to  pass  out  of  their  lives'^  (p.  30  f). 

A  great  deal  has  to  be  unlearned  before  the 
real  truth  is  taught.  Now,  the  great  business  of 
the  teacher  is  **to  open  the  gates  of  life  for  the 
pupils.''  Everything  must  subserve  this  aim. 
*^  Whether  we  scan  the  heavens,  penetrate  the 
depths  of  the  sea,  pore  over  the  pages  of  books 
or  look  into  the  minds  and  hearts  of  men,  we  are 
striving  after  an  interpretation  of  life."  This 
sentence  from  Pearson  in  his  suggestive  volume, 
*^The  Vitalised  School,"  has  reference  to  the 
public  school  teacher,  but  it  is  equally  applicable 
to  the  Sunday  school  teacher,  who  must  interpret 
life  according  to  the  highest  and  noblest  ideal  of 
Jesus.  The  teacher  who  has  a  trained  mind, 
which  is  a  discerning  mind,  will  understand  and 
appreciate  the  interests  of  each  scholar.  Here 
after  all  is  the  crux  of  the  whole  matter.  The 
preacher  who  is  more  interested  in  his  subject 
than  in  his  object  is  failing  in  his  mission.  So 
also,  the  teacher  who  knows  the  lesson  but  does 
not  know  the  pupil  is  playing  a  hit  or  miss  game. 
One  child  is  plastic,  sanguine  and  quickly  respon- 
sive: another  is  impulsive,  changeable,  and  at 
times  unreliable :  yet  another  is  phlegmatic,  dull 
and  finds  it  difficult  to  grasp  the  truth,  but  he  is 
possessed  of  heroic  and  enduring  qualities.  These 
differences  are  determined  not  only  by  tempera- 
ment but  also  by  age,  sex,  education  and  up- 


The  Evangelistic  Teacher  137 

bringing.  Each  scholar  must  be  treated  separ- 
ately, and  we  must  not  attempt  to  standardize 
the  experience  but  should  encourage  the  pic- 
turesque diversity,  each  according  to  his  own 
order.  **The  more  one  thinks  of  it,'^  said  J. 
Brierley,  **the  more  plainly  it  appears  that  in  all 
regions  of  thought — religious,  scientific,  artistic, 
literary — the  question  of  questions,  the  pivot  on 
which  everything  turns,  is  personality.  The  per- 
sonal life  is  the  ultimate  life,  the  personal  interest 
the  ultimate  interest.''  This  is  true  of  youth  as 
well  as  of  adult  life,  for  **the  child  is  father  of 
the  man."  We  shall  fail  unless  we  reckon  with 
all  the  facts.  To  put  old  heads  on  young  shoul- 
ders is  unnatural  because  contrary  to  the  laws 
of  growth  and  development.  '  Where  this  is  at- 
tempted the  result  is  only  a  make-believe  with 
damaging  reactions  on  character.  The  child  or 
the  youth  should  therefore  be  taught  only  what 
will  most  directly  benefit  him  and  what  will  in 
turn  become  seed  for  the  harvest  of  the  future 
years. 

The  ultimate  aim  of  religious  teaching  is  to 
secure  a  favourable  decision  for  Christ  and  the 
Christian  life.  The  instruction  is  so  framed  and 
imparted  that  the  scholar  does  not  merely  receive 
so  much  Bible  information  and  become  familiar 
with  a  set  of  doctrines  about  God.  He  has  missed 
the  mark  if  he  does  not  come  to  know  God  the 
Father  as  revealed  in  Jesus  Christ,  whom  he  also 


138  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

accepts  as  personal  Saviour.  Such  knowledge  with 
surrender  enlightens  the  understanding,  quickens 
the  conscience  and  moves  the  will.  The  German 
schools  are  acknowledged  to  have  the  most  rigid 
system  of  religious  education,  but  it  is  too  wooden. 
A  great  deal  is  made  of  creed  and  catechism,  with- 
out any  vital  relation  to  character.  It  reminds 
one  of  the  high  school  boy  who  was  expelled  and 
with  a  sense  of  unconscious  irony  said,  ''I  got 
fired,  but  I  got  ninety-eight  in  ethics.''  There 
should  be  no  gap  between  theory  and  practice  in 
the  matter  of  morals  and  religion.  We  must 
moreover  distinguish  between  instruction,  which 
draws  out  the  best  in  a  pupil,  and  exhortation^ 
which  expects  the  pupils  to  submit  without  any 
further  discussion.  The  first  is  a  form  of  ex- 
pression, the  second  is  one  of  repression.  The 
first  makes  for  development  and  initiative,  the 
second  for  a  static  and  passive  type  of  life,  which 
is  always  uncertain  of  itself  and  weakly  dependent 
on  others.  The  first  encourages  the  cultivation 
of  the  Christian  consciousness  as  the  privilege  of 
Protestantism,  the  second  makes  much  of  author- 
ity of  the  dogmatic  order,  and  compels  one  to  be 
guided  by  rules  and  not  by  principles. 

The  teaching  which  is  most  effective  is  con- 
tinued after  the  class  hour.  What  is  done  during 
the  far  too  brief  session  of  half  an  hour,  more  or 
less,  oftener  less,  must  be  followed  up  mth  each 
individual.     Such  is  the  diffidence  of  the  average 


The  Evangelistic  Teacher  139 

pupil  that  he  will  not  make  public  confession  in 
the  presence  of  the  class.  One  who  has  had  con- 
siderable experience  with  young  men  says  that 
nowadays  they  are  *^  strangely  and  obstinately 
reticent  as  to  their  inner  life.''  Imagine  how  em- 
barrassing it  would  be  to  answer  personal  ques- 
tions when  taken  off-guard.  Respect  for  the  per- 
sonality of  each  pupil  should  show  that  such  a 
method  is  not  only  untimely  but  really  evades  the 
issues.  Wliere  you  desire  to  attract  you  alienate. 
It  is  in  the  privacy  of  heart-to-heart  dealing  that 
difficulties  can  be  met,  objections  answered,  and 
suggestions  offered,  which  shall  pave  the  way  for 
the  definite  surrender  to  Christ,  and  for  the  open 
declaration.  Here  is  where  the  teacher  does  the 
best  work.  If  tactful  and  patient,  sympathetic 
and  earnest,  if  a  personal  interest  is  shown  in 
everything  relating  to  the  pupil,  the  teacher  will 
have  the  joy  of  guiding  the  young  life  to  Christ 
and  of  helping  him  or  her,  to  give  practical  ex- 
pression to  faith  by  joining  the  church. 

Personal  contact  will  introduce  the  teacher  into 
the  pupiPs  world.  He  will  by  all  means  become 
acquainted  with  the  home  life  and  secure  the  intel- 
ligent co-operation  of  the  parents.  Some  may  be 
hostile,  either  through  lack  of  Christian  concern 
or  through  inability  to  understand  the  significance 
of  the  young  taking  a  stand  for  Christ.  Those 
children  who  have  Christian  parents  and  who 
therefore  have  the  training  of  a  Christian  home 


140  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

would  be  more  favourably  disposed  to  make  the 
open  avowal  of  discipleship,  since  they  have  al- 
ways been  lovers  of  Jesus  and  never  knew  dif- 
ferent. Others  without  this  privilege  must  be 
dealt  with  according  to  their  respective  condi- 
tions. In  every  case,  we  must  be  frank  and  fair, 
and  submit  all  the  facts  without  evasion.  This 
will  enable  us  to  avoid  what  Professor  Coe,  in  **  A 
Social  Theory  of  Religious  Education/^  calls 
'^high  pressure  methods  that  ignore  the  laws  of 
growth,"  which  are  ^'  not  only  unnecessary  but 
also  injurious.  They  are  injurious  because  the 
impression  that  they  make  upon  children  as  to 
the  nature  of  the  Christian  life  is  untrue.  It  is 
as  untrue  as  would  be  the  presentation  to  healthy 
children  of  a  bottle  of  medicine  to  make  them 
grow.  The  Christian  life  cannot  be  truthfully 
separated,  with  either  child  or  adult,  from  the 
social  issues  that  constitute  the  difference  between 
the  mind  of  Christ  and  the  love  of  the  world.  To 
draw  the  child's  mind  away  from  these  issues  as 
they  appear  before  him  in  his  own  inch-by-inch 
experience,  and  as  the  faithful  Sunday  school 
teacher  has  to  recognise  them,  into  a  relatively 
abstract  or  sentimental  contemplation  of  himself 
or  of  Christ,  is  to  counteract  not  to  supplement 
the  sound  work  of  religious  education. '* 

We  should  surely  take  advantage  of  the  great 
days  of  the  church  year  on  account  of  their  op- 
portune messages.     Their  appeal  would  be  all 


The  Evangelistic  Teacher  141 

the  more  conclusive  because  of  the  **  educative 
process, '*  which  has  prepared  the  scholar  to  enter 
upon  his  inheritance,  with  all  the  social  respon- 
sibilities that  accrue  to  it.  Decision  day  need  not 
be  one  special  occasion  in  the  year,  when  the  regu- 
lar lesson  study  must  be  suspended.  It  will  be 
one  of  the  usual  and  normal  features  of  school 
life.  *^  Every  day  should  be  a  day  of  decision 
for  every  pupil  according  to  his  capacity  for  de- 
cision.'' The  evangelistic  teacher  knows  the 
evangel,  which  is  Jesus  Christ  in  all  the  wealth 
of  his  redeeming  grace.  He  has  the  evangelistic 
spirit,  which  is  love  shown  in  patience,  kindness 
and  eagerness  without  discouragement  or  dismay. 
He  further  has  the  evangelistic  purpose  to  win 
every  scholar  for  Christ  and  to  bring  every  one  of 
them  into  personal  fellowship  with  the  Saviour. 
He  finally  follows  the  best  evangelistic  method, 
which  is  a  friendly  approach  to  each  one  with  the 
goal  ever  in  sight.  The  co-operation  of  other 
teachers  likeminded  will  then  help  to  make  the 
atmosphere  for  the  growth  of  every  member  of 
the  school,  **unto  the  measure  of  the  stature  of 
the  fulness  of  Christ. ' '  * 


*  I  venture  to  refer  to  my  book,  "  Personal  Appeals  to  Sunday 
School  Workers,"  for  a  fuller  discussion  of  every  important  phase 
of  this  subject. 


CHAPTER  TWELVE 

THE   PEKSUASIVE   PKEACHER 

THE  triumpli  of  democracy  will  make  more  of 
authority  than  could  ever  be  possible  under 
any  theory  of  autocracy  or  oligarchy.  But 
it  is  the  authority  of  ability  and  merit  and  not 
the  doubtful  authority  of  privilege,  influence  and 
vested  interests.  This  truth  applies  in  a  very 
marked  way  to  the  authority  of  the  preacher. 
The  credentials  of  apostolic  succession,  ecclesi- 
astical sanction  and  churchly  decorum  are  at  best 
but  incidental  issues.  As  Principal  Forsyth 
strongly  puts  it  in  his  volume,  ^^The  Church  and 
the  Sacraments,''  *'The  church  can  appoint  min- 
isters, but  the  ministry,  as  an  institution,  is  God's 
gift  to  his  church,  like  the  preacher's  power.  No 
power  of  men  can  make  any  man  the  oracle  of 
God.  *  There  is  no  shekinah  but  by  divine  as- 
signation.' "  In  the  final  analysis,  therefore,  the 
authority  of  the  preacher  is  a  question  of  person- 
ality. His  vital  and  glowing  experience  of  Christ 
the  Redeemer  and  Lord  enables  him  to  exercise 
a  creative  ministry  and  he  regards  himself  as  a 
trustee  of  *^the  Word  of  New  Creation."  When 
he  speaks  from  the  inner  sanctuary  of  experience, 
it  is  not  only  that  of  his  own,  but  of  the  entire 

142 


The  Persuasive  Preacher  143 

company  of  Christian  believers  of  all  the  cen- 
turies. Grace  therefore  adorns  his  message  and 
it  has  irresistible  sway.  His  speech  is  moreover 
marked  by  urgency,  and  he  is  keen  on  imparting 
what  alone  can  bring  spiritual  relief,  like  *^the 
shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land.''  His 
business  is  not  to  defend  Christ  but  to  proclaim 
him  in  all  the  wondrous  sufficiency  of  his  power 
to  save  unto  the  uttermost.  *^As  it  now  ap- 
pears,'' wrote  John  Watson  in  reviewing  his  fruit- 
ful ministry  at  Sef ton  Park,  Liverpool, ' '  the  chief 
effort  of  every  sermon  should  be  to  unveil  Christ, 
and  the  chief  art  of  the  preacher  to  conceal  him- 
self." 

The  great  preachers  of  the  church  commanded 
a  hearing  because  they  dealt  with  the  substantial 
facts  of  redemptive  experience,  and  not  with 
speculative  inferences.  Paul  emphasized  the  per- 
sonal note,  when  he  spoke  of  *^my  gospel"  (Rom. 
2:16;  16:25;  II  Tim.  2:8).  He  did  not  imply 
that  he  had  any  exclusive  monopoly,  but  that  he 
had  appropriated  the  gospel  inheritance  for  him- 
self and  its  virtue  was  a  reality  in  his  own  life. 
^'But  though  his  experience  was  individual,  it  was 
not  eccentric."  He  was  certain  that  what  had  so 
adequately  helped  him  was  equally  able  to  help 
all  sinning  and  struggling  humanity.  Every 
preacher  must  have  this  assurance,  without  which 
he  cannot  have  enthusiasm,  energy  and  endur- 
ance.    The  greatness  of  preaching  is  not  deter- 


144  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

mined  by  the  size  of  the  field  of  labour  but  by  the 
spirit  of  the  labourer.  The  greatest  preacher  fre- 
quently had  an  audience  of  only  one;  but  he 
stirred  that  single  hearer  with  the  joy  of  redemp- 
tion, that  like  the  seed  sown  on  good  ground  the 
one  was  indefinitely  multiplied  and  yielded  an  ex- 
tensive harvest.  Such  a  result  was  made  possible 
because  the  preacher  believed  in  his  hearers. 
Oftentimes  he  quickened  faith  in  those  who  did 
not  believe  in  •  themselves,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
Samaritan  woman,  Zaccheus  the  publican  and 
Mary  Magdalene.  John  Morley  confesses  in  his 
**  Recollections, '^  that  a  maxim  which  he  repeated 
once  a  month  or  oftener  was,  ^^If  you  would  love 
mankind,  you  must  not  expect  too  much  from 
them.'^  With  all  respect  to  this  distinguished 
statesman,  we  must  say  that  this  is  a  form  of 
cynicism,  wholly  different  to  the  buoyant  optim- 
ism of  Jesus.  He  had  full  confidence  in  the 
generative  and  regenerative  power  of  the  gospel 
and  was  not  disappointed. 

"  Speak  but  the  word !  the  Evangel  shall  awaken 
Life  in  the  lost,  the  hero  in  the  slave." 

Like  Jesus,  every  preacher  must  have  a  sane 
and  balanced  view  of  life.  He  should  speak  to 
life  imperfect,  of  the  life  perfect;  to  life  dis- 
tracted and  disconnected,  of  the  life  united  and 
poised;  to  life  self-centred,  of  the  life  God-pos- 
sessed.   The  Master  had  an  all-round  program. 


The  Persuasive  Preacher  145 

Over  against  social  abuses,  he  placed  social  duties ; 
and  he  balanced  social  privileges  with  social  re- 
sponsibilities. The  ideal  of  the  prophet  concern- 
ing the  Servant  of  Jehovah  was  heartily  endorsed 
by  Jesus,  who  completely  realised  it  in  his  own 
ministry  (Luke  4:16-30).  The  Sermon  on  the 
Mount  is  a  summary  of  manifold  obligation,  which 
can  be  discharged  only  by  those  who  have  the 
experience  of  the  beatitudes.  The  purpose  of 
preaching  is  to  persuade  people  to  accept  this 
noble  ideal  for  their  own  practical  guidance.  Men 
were  induced  to  take  notice  of  what  Jesus  said 
because  he  gave  them  the  impression  that  he  knew 
with  certainty  what  he  was  talking  about.  His 
whole  soul  went  out  to  his  hearers.  They  were 
swayed  by  his  compassion  which  had  pity  and 
patience,  by  his  courage  with  its  vehemence  of 
unction,  by  his  gladness  which  had  not  even  the 
tinge  of  melancholy.  Those  who  heard  him  could 
not  fail  to  learn  that  religion  is  both  real  and 
reasonable,  and  that  its  purpose  is  the  redemp- 
tion of  all  life  and  all  of  life,  even  of  the  **  peoples 
and  multitudes  and  nations  and  tongues.'' 

Since  all  knowledge  is  the  province  of  the  Chris- 
tian preacher,  he  must  never  allow  himself  to  be 
** smothered  by  parochialism.''  He  is  a  mes- 
senger of  Christ,  whose  dominion  has  no  frontier, 
and  whose  empire  must  extend  its  sway  over  all 
the  vocations  and  avocations  of  life.  As  one  has 
said,  ^*  Christian  progress,  progress  with  Christ  at 


146  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

the  head  of  it,  has  the  promise  of  to-morrow  and 
of  the  imaginable  future.''  One  who  has  such  a 
conviction  will  give  himself  to  the  task  of  per- 
suading men  and  women  to  decide  promptly  for 
Christ.  He  realises  that  many  are  not  alive  to 
their  actual  conditions  and  he  therefore  en- 
deavours to  awaken  them  out  of  sleep.  The 
mother  awakens  her  child  in  the  morning  in  one 
way;  the  man  is  roused  from  sleep  to  go  to  work 
in  a  different  way ;  those  who  are  asleep  in  a  house 
which  is  on  fire  are  awakened  in  yet  another 
way.  So  the  preacher  plays  on  every  chord  of 
the  human  heart,  and  as  the  necessities  of  each 
case  may  demand,  he  appeals  to  fear  or  ambition 
or  self-respect  or  distress.  This  is  not  an  easy 
business.  •  It  requires  a  full  mind  and  a  full  heart. 
A  knowledge  of  human  nature  which  is  replen- 
ished by  the  study  of  psychology  will  enable  him 
to  reckon  with  the  varying  moods,  divers  tempera- 
ments, changing  emotions  and  complex  experi- 
ences of  human  life.  Such  diversity  is  due  to  the 
endless  flow  of  influences  from  friendship,  preju- 
dice, sentiment,  tradition,  custom,  nationality  and 
other  circumstances  of  social  and  communal 
experience.  Referring  to  Doctor  Jowett  of 
Balliol,  Doctor  Stopford  Brooke  wrote  in  his 
diary,  **The  blamelessness  of  his  personal  life 
kept  him  wholly  ignorant  of  the  desperateness  of 
the  temptations  and  trials  of  men,  and  he  floun- 
dered when  he  got  among  them. ' '    This  criticism 


The  Persuasive  Preacher  147 

is  a  strong  argument  why  the  preacher  must  also 
be  a  pastor,  keeping  close  to  the  people,  if  he 
would  speak  pointedly  and  persuasively  to  them. 
Indeed,  preaching  is  a  species  of  wrestling  and  he 
who  would  succeed  must  know  the  strength  and 
weakness  of  his  contestant.  The  man  in  the 
pulpit  offers  a  proposition  to  the  men  in  the  pew. 
His  concern  is  to  secure  their  favourable  accept- 
ance of  it,  to  the  extent  that  they  will  change  their 
method  of  living.  What  is  said  must  therefore 
have  compelling  force,  to  constrain  them  to  recon- 
sider their  ineffectual  lives  and  submit  decisively 
and  uncompromisingly  to  Jesus  Christ.  As  the 
preacher  thus  deals  with  the  startling  facts  of  sin, 
penitence  and  redemption,  his  hearers  should  be 
staggered  rather  than  pleased,  aroused  rather 
than  gratified,  and  then  be  induced  in  penitence 
to  accept  the  sole  solution  for  the  removal  of  the 
discord  and  defeat  within. 

Evangelistic  preaching  of  the  *^Come  to  Jesus '* 
type  is  not  enough.  We  must  not  only  win  men 
to  Christ  but  show  them  how  to  be  anchored  in 
the  faith.  They  must  not  only  get  right  with  God 
but  keep  right  with  him.  We  must  not  only  have 
people  but  hold  them.  We  should  not  only  be 
solicitous  of  their  salvation  but  persuade  them  to 
go  on  unto  perfection.  **It  is  easier  to  convert 
men  than  it  is  to  educate  them.  The  converts  are 
many  but  the  developed  workers  are  few. ' '  One 
reason  why  so  many  lapse  is  **due  to  the  fact  that 


148  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

their  mental  being  has  not  been  fully  unified  in  the 
change.''  This  omission  can  be  rectified  as  the 
preacher  discharges  the  function  of  a  teacher  and 
demonstrates  how  the  right  adjustments  should 
be  made.  It  was  said  of  Jesus  that  he  went  about 
the  synagogues  of  Galilee,  ^^  teaching  and  preach- 
ing" the  gospel  of  the  kingdom.  His  last  com- 
mission was  to  make  disciples  of  all  the  nations, 
**  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  whatsoever 
I  commanded  you."  The  whole  counsel  of  God 
must  then  be  announced  and  enunciated,  so  that 
the  entire  circle  of  truth  shall  captivate  every 
Christian,  with  the  imperative  of  divine  grace, 
instructing  him,  *^to  renounce  irreligion  and 
worldly  passions  and  to  live  a  life  of  self-mastery, 
of  integrity  and  of  piety  in  this  present  world." 
Our  temptation  has  been  to  rely  on  a  partial  mes- 
sage, and  consequently  the  citadel  of  truth  has 
been  endangered  by  the  invasion  of  the  votaries 
of  fantastic  and  fatalistic  cults.  The  great 
preachers  of  the  church  were  generous  in  their 
proclamations,  and,  in  the  words  of  Doctor  R. 
W.  Dale,  avoided  **the  danger  of  failing  to  give 
to  any  of  the  great  doctrines  of  the  Christian 
Faith  an  adequate  place."  The  secret  was  that 
they  breathed  the  spacious  atmosphere  of  the 
Bible  and  expounded  it  with  a  wealth  of  learning 
and  of  spiritual  insight,  to  gladden  and  strengthen 
their  hearers  with  tidings  of  the  unsearchable 
riches  of  Christ.    **The  best  of  books  was  in  his 


The  Persuasive  Preacher  149 

hand/'  wrote  Bunyan  of  his  ideal  preacher,  and 
those  who  have  come  nearest  to  this  ideal  have 
always  been  enlightened  and  fortified  by  the  Book 
of  God.  So  was  it  with  Paul  in  the  first  century, 
with  Maclaren  in  the  last  century  and  with  every 
preacher  of  note  and  weight  in  all  the  centuries. 
In  these  days  when  we  think  of  the  Scriptures 
not  as  a  quarry  of  texts  but  as  a  literature  of 
life,  our  use  of  the  Bible  should  be  more  thorough 
than  that  of  any  previous  generation.  Where 
this  is  the  case,  an  evangelistic-teaching  ministry 
is  exercised,  and  there  is  witnessed  a  steady 
stream  of  conversions  with  their  marvel  and  joy, 
and  a  continuous  flow  of  consistent  confessions  of 
Christ  made  by  speech  and  in  service.  The  testi- 
mony of  Doctor  R.  F.  Horton  in  his  **  Autobiog- 
raphy'*  is  worth  quoting  on  this  point.  He  is 
referring  to  the  thirtieth  anniversary  of  the  open- 
ing of  the  Lyndhurst  Road  Church,  of  which  he 
is  pastor.  ^' There  was  one  curious  coincidence 
which  came  out  in  this  review  of  the  membership 
of  the  church;  it  made  a  deep  impression  on  me. 
I  had  often  bemoaned  the  fact  that  my  work  did 
not  result  in  large  harvests  and  impressive  in- 
gatherings. But,  strange  to  say,  we  found  that 
the  number  of  members  who  had  joined  the  church 
from  the  beginning  represented  exactly  one  for 
every  Sunday  service  that  had  been  held.  The 
slow  and  steady  work  of  my  long  years  was  per- 
mitted to  produce  just  what  was  effected  at  Pente- 


i^o  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

cost  in  one  day.  Laus  Deo!  Thirty  years  now 
to  do  what  then  required  a  few  hours''  (p.  335). 
It  is  largely  due  to  our  nervous  desire  for  short 
cuts  and  quick  results,  that  there  is  a  growing 
tendency  to  hire  some  outsider  to  do  the  work 
of  evangelism.  The  professional  evangelist  no 
doubt  has  his  place,  but  it  is  a  very  limited  and 
subordinate  place.  Those  who  look  to  him  so 
eagerly,  tacitly  acknowledge  their  own  incapacity 
or  rather  their  negligence.  The  Protestant 
Church  has  surely  fallen  on  evil  times,  when  it 
thinks  more  of  the  spectacular  appeals  of  the 
itinerant  gospeler  than  of  the  all-round  work  of 
the  settled  ministry.  It  is  really  a  reflection  on 
the  failure  of  the  preacher  and  the  people.  This 
stigma  cannot  be  removed  by  resorting  to  clap- 
trap, with  the  inevitable  displays  of  vulgar  ri- 
baldry and  the  obnoxious  heckling  over  financial 
profits.  The  whole  business  is  unethical,  not  to 
speak  of  it  being  tragically  unspiritual.  The 
popular  evangelist  invariably  represents  the  re- 
actionary and  obscurantist  forces  in  the  church. 
He  is  out  of  sympathy  with  Christian  scholarship, 
holding  as  he  does  to  a  theology  which  crudely 
misrepresents  the  true  essence  of  Christianity, 
and  its  spiritual  and  social  passion.  He  is  more 
like  the  seller  of  patent  medicines  than  like  the 
duly  qualified  practitioner.  At  the  close  of  his 
so-called  revivalistic  campaign,  which  has  been 
characterised  by  pulpit  rant  and  the  unwarranted 


The  Persuasive  Preacher  151 

vituperation  of  the  church  and  the  ministry,  he 
leaves  the  community  in  a  state  of  ecclesiastical 
and  moral  disruption,  with  problems  made  all  the 
more  complicated  because  of  misplaced  emphases 
and  distorted  views  of  duty  and  obligation.  The 
scene  is  more  like  the  wreckage  from  an  explosion, 
which  calls  for  the  tedious  removal  of  debris  and 
years  of  reconstructive  work,  from  the  very  foun^ 
dations.  How  long  are  we  going  to  permit  such 
shameful  displays? 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  modern  preacher  is 
compelled  to  do  so  many  things  which  really  lie 
outside  his  particular  sphere.  How  easy  it  is  for 
the  laity  to  shove  things  aside,  on  the  assumption 
that  these  miscellaneous  duties  will  be  shouldered 
by  the  pastor!  He  thus  becomes  an  advertising 
agent,  concerned  with  bills  and  badges;  a  can- 
vasser, taken  up  with  surveys  and  census  returns ; 
and  a  financial  manipulator,  busied  and  wearied 
to  make  ends  meet.  In  short,  he  is  a  *'jack  of  all 
trades  and  master  of  none,''  a  sort  of  an  indi- 
vidual aptly  described  as  a  ^^pack  horse,''  when 
he  really  should  be  a  prophet  of  God,  an  evan- 
gelist of  good  tidings,  a  teacher  of  truth  and  a 
pastor  of  his  people  and  of  the  community.  No 
doubt  this  is  partly  due  to  the  social  conditions 
of  our  day.  But  it  is  nevertheless  true,  that  so 
long  as  the  minister  is  taken  up  with  the  oppor- 
tunities of  action,  he  will  find  it  impossible,  by 
the  sheer  weakness  of  the  flesh,  to  face  the  diffi- 


152  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

culties  of  thought,  to  solve  the  problems  of  life 
and  to  give  himself  to  the  supremely  vital  work 
of  persuasive  preaching,  with  independence  of  in- 
sight, vigour  of  vision  and  authority  of  conviction. 
The  darkness  of  temporising  and  compromising 
is  however  passing  away,  and  the  true  light  of  the 
new  day  of  the  evangel's  glory  is  already  shining. 
There  is  coming  a  renaissance  of  the  Christian 
pulpit,  due  in  no  small  measure  to  the  disillusions 
of  the  War.  The  outlook  is  therefore  marked  by 
the  triumph  of  apostolic  optimism.  We  shall 
again  hear  the  gospel  of  redemption  proclaimed 
with  the  fervour  of  Paul,  the  conviction  of  Athana- 
sius,  the  eloquence  of  Chrysostum,  the  volcanic 
energy  of  Savonarola,  the  fearlessness  of  Knox, 
the  courage  of  Luther,  the  independence  of  Calvin, 
the  passion  of  Wesley,  the  scorching  keenness  of 
Edwards,  the  daring  of  Robertson,  the  charm 
of  Punshon,  the  glow  of  Spurgeon,  the  rapture  of 
Newman,  the  insight  of  Matheson,  the  splendour 
of  Phillips  Brooks,  the  joy  of  Moody,  the  tender- 
ness of  Beecher,  the  majesty  of  Dale,  the  grace 
of  Maclaren.  No  negation  of  historian  nor  pessi- 
mism of  philosopher  nor  materialism  of  scientist 
can  ever  withstand  the  joyful  optimism  of  the 
evangelism  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  Son  of  God,  the 
Saviour  of  the  world,  the  Lord  of  life.  Let  the 
preacher  devote  himself  to  earnest  prayer,  ar- 
duous study,  intense  meditation  and  continuous 
shepherding,  under  the  spell  of  the  vision  splen- 


The  Persuasive  Preacher  153 

did,  and  his  ministry  shall  make  glad  the  City 
of  our  God.  Great  is  thy  office  and  opportunity, 
0  preacher!  Make  full  use  of  it  as  a  worthy 
steward  of  the  Gospel  of  grace  and  truth. 

"'Twas  August,  and  the  fierce  sun  overhead 
Smote  on  the  squalid  streets  of  Bethnal  Green, 
And  the  pale  weaver,  through  his  windows  seen 
In  Spitalfields,  look'd  thrice  dispirited. 

I  met  a  preacher  there  I  knew,  and  said: 

*  111  and  o'erwork'd,  how  fare  you  in  this  scene  ? ' — 

'  Bravely !  '  said  he ;  '  for  I  of  late  have  been 

Much  cheer'd  with  thoughts  of  Christ,  the  living  bread.* 

O  human  soul!  as  long  as  thou  canst  so 
Set  up  a  mark  of  everlasting  light, 
Above  the  howling  senses'  ebb  and  flow, 

To  cheer  thee,  and  to  right  thee  if  thou  roam — 

Not  with  lost  toil  thou  labourest  through  the  night!  * 

Thou  mak'st  the  heaven  thou  hop'st  indeed  thy  home." 


*  "  East  London,"  by  Matthew  Arnold  in  Poetical  Works. 
The  Macmillan  Company,  New  York. 


CHAPTER  THIRTEEN  * 

THINKING  THROUGH 

EVERY  movement  passes  through  three 
stages.  It  is  first  met  with  opposition, 
then  with  ridicule,  and  if  it  survives  these 
two  fires,  it  becomes  established.  So  was  it  with 
Christianity  in  its  early  career.  It  was  opposed 
in  Jerusalem,  it  was  ridiculed  in  Antioch,  it  was 
established  in  Rome.  The  successful  issue  de- 
pended on  the  ability  of  the  leaders,  who  not  only 
had  vital  convictions,  but  who  proclaimed  them, 
in  spite  of  the  forces  which  threatened  to  under- 
mine and  destroy  them.  If  their  convictions  had 
been  superficial,  these  men  would  not  have  been 
gripped  by  them  nor  would  they  have  been  able 
to  grip  the  people.  But  they  knew  him  whom 
they  believed  and  they  were  persuaded,  beyond 
cavil,  rebuke  or  disparagement,  that  absolutely 
nothing  could  separate  them  from  the  love  of  God 
which  is  in  Christ  Jesus  our  Lord.  They  had 
thought  through  to  their  conclusions  and  were 
established  on  a  firm  foundation.  No  power 
could,  therefore,  move  them.      They  had  strong 

*  This  chapter  originally  appeared  in  the  Methodist  Review, 
November,  1917.  It  is  here  introduced,  with  the  kind  permission 
of  the  editor.  Dr.  William  V.  Kelley,  because  it  deals  with  some 
questions  touching  the  larger  mission  of  evangelism. 

154 


Thinking  Through  155 

encouragement  which  was  as  an  anchor  of  the 
soul  both  sure  and  steadfast.  This  was  particu- 
larly true  of  the  leaders  of  the  Apostolic  Church. 
In  spite  of  imperfections,  due  to  traditional  in- 
fluences, they  had  the  progressive  manner  and  the 
forward  look.  What  saved  them  from  wreckage 
on  the  rocks  of  traditionalism  was  the  illumination 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  whom  they  accepted  as  their 
constant  and  consistent  guide  into  the  larger 
areas  of  thought  and  life.  Recall  how  Paul  won 
the  triumph  for  the  cosmopolitan  and  democratic 
view  of  Christianity.  The  voice  of  opposition  was 
stilled  when  the  conservative  leaders  recognised 
that  the  apostle  to  the  Gentiles  had  the  guidance 
of  the  divine  Spirit.  They  did  not  hesitate  to 
accept  conclusions  which  went  counter  to  their 
accepted  beliefs,  because  they  were  convinced  that 
the  new  conclusions  were  nearer  the  whole  truth 
than  the  old. 

The  leaders  of  the  Protestant  Reformation  did 
not  have  the  same  consistent  attitude  to  truth. 
Conservatism  and  radicalism  struggled  for  the 
mastery,  but  so  great  was  the  influence  of  me- 
disevalism  that  the  reformers  were  prevented 
from  thinking  through.  In  this  case  conservatism 
meant  reaction.  For  instance,  the  principle  of 
individual  liberty  in  Christ,  with  its  complemen- 
tary principle  of  social  obligation,  was  imperfectly 
expounded.  The  freedom  of  the  Christian  was 
modified  by  the  dogma  of  sacerdotalism.      The 


156  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

priesthood  of  all  believers  was  qualified  by  the 
separation  into  clergy  and  laity,  with  tbe  impli- 
cation of  superior  and  inferior.  The  spirit  of 
free  enquiry  and  the  rights  of  private  judgment 
were  limited  by  the  distrust  of  reason.  The  lib- 
eration by  the  indwelling  Holy  Spirit  was  re- 
stricted by  ecclesiastical  pronouncements.  The 
message  of  the  open  Book  of  God  was  kept  within 
bounds  by  dogmatic  interpretations.  The  author- 
ity of  the  Christian  consciousness  and  the  witness 
of  the  Spirit  had  the  elements  of  spiritual  vitality 
sapped  out.  The  fact  is  that  the  Reformers  were 
very  much  the  children  of  their  time.  It  was, 
therefore,  inevitable  that  they  were  unable  to 
pursue  their  conclusions  to  a  consistent  climax. 
They  were  held  back  by  prepossessions  and 
presuppositions,  imposed  upon  them  by  Catholic 
scholasticism.  This  in  turn  was  succeeded  by 
Protestant  scholasticism,  which  was  no  less  dog- 
matic than  its  paralysing  predecessor. 

Much  has  happened  since  the  date  when  Luther 
nailed  his  defiant  theses.  It  ill  becomes  us  at  the 
present  time  to  point  out  the  manifest  weaknesses 
of  the  greatest  revival  movement  in  the  history 
of  the  church.  It  is  not  by  criticising  its  defects 
that  we  can  worthily  commemorate  this  heroic 
protest  on  behalf  of  spiritual  liberty  in  Christ  and 
the  nobler  progress  of  humanity.  It  is  rather  by 
completing  the  program  of  Protestantism  in  the 
light  of  modern  needs,  that  we  shall  prove  our- 


Thinking  Through  157 

selves  to  be  the  devoted  descendants  of  those 
brave  souls,  who,  in  the  teeth  of  bitter  opposition 
and  unscrupulous  persecution,  remained  loyal  to 
the  light  as  they  saw  it,  and  were  faithful  to  the 
truth  as  they  understood  it.  Our  task  is  all  the 
greater  because  of  the  innumerable  changes 
wrought  by  science,  travel,  invention  and  the 
two  ways  of  evolution  and  revolution  in  the  social, 
economic,  political  and  religious  life  of  all  peoples. 
The  more  pressing  then  is  the  call  for  a  leadership 
to  be  characterised  by  ^^ wisdom  without  egotism 
and  truthfulness  without  cynicism.'^  Just  at  this 
point  we  are  confronted  by  one  of  the  serious 
perils  of  our  American  life,  due  to  slack  disci- 
pline. It  is  well  described  by  Professor  Peabody, 
a  true  modern  prophet,  in  *'The  Religious  Educa- 
tion of  an  American  Citizen '^  *^A  distinguished 
American  has  said  that  his  country  is  alone  in 
the  world  in  its  distrust  of  experts.  One  man's 
opinion  is  commonly  thought  to  be  as  good  as 
another's,  if  not  better.  A  citizen  may  train  him- 
self laboriously  for  some  form  of  public  service, 
for  diplomacy  or  legislation  or  the  teaching  of 
some  branch  of  learning,  and  may  find  himself 
some  day  displaced  by  a  wholly  untrained  com- 
petitor. Wlien  a  candidate  is  proposed  for  office 
the  first  question  asked  concerning  him  is  likely 
to  be,  not  *How  adequately  prepared  is  he  for  his 
taskr  but  'Is  he  of  our  party;  can  he  get  the 
votes  r     Inexperience  may  be  a  passport  to  pre- 


1^8  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

ferment,  and  ignorance  a  title  to  self-respect." 
This  means  that  leaders  are  not  held  in  deserved 
honour.  People  insist  on  doing  their  own  think- 
ing. This  is  as  it  should  be,  provided  they  have 
the  adequate  data.  But  this,  unfortunately,  is 
not  always  the  case,  and  we  frequently  find  our- 
selves in  the  comic  or  rather  tragic  situation  of 
the  beggar  on  horseback  and  the  prince  walking. 
Another  peril  comes  from  the  tendency  to  look  for 
the  safe  man.  This  generally  gives  us  the  medi- 
ocre man  who  hesitates  to  say  that  his  soul  is  his 
own,  lest  he  offend  vested  interests  and  startle 
the  prejudices  of  the  ^^  self -preoccupied  business 
man.''  In  these  rushful  times  we  have  made  the 
man  of  action  our  guide,  while  the  man  of  thought 
is  consigned  to  a  place  of  secondary  importance. 
This  is  akin  to  the  inane  talk  about  the  *^  scholar 
in  politics,"  as  though  our  supremest  need  were 
the  man  of  affairs  with  his  nose  to  the  grindstone, 
and  not  the  man  of  vision  with  deep  historic 
knowledge  and  world  outlook.  In  urging  the 
imperious  necessity  for  the  preparedness  of  the 
American  mind,  conscience  and  will.  Doctor  James 
A.  Macdonald  has  pointed  out  that,  *'In  the  world 
conflict  of  ideas  the  college  classrooms  are  our 
strategic  heights.  Hold  them  to-day,  and  the 
hinterland  of  the  Vimy  Ridge  of  Truth  will  be 
yours  to-morrow."  The  New  York  Tribune,  in 
an  editorial  on  ''The  Mental  Habits  of  Democ- 
racy," called  attention  to  some  of  our  conspicuous 


Thinking  Through  159 

failings:  *'Our  national  maxim  has  been,  *Get 
busy.'  *The  hustler'  has  become  our  hero,  with 
the  result  that  few  people,  even  leaders  and 
moulders  of  public  opinion,  have  had  time  for 
thinking.  Scarcely  anywhere  in  our  blind  milling 
around  has  there  been  an  opportunity  for  the 
modern  equivalent  of  that  calm  meditation  which 
characterised  the  great  minds  of  ancient  and 
mediaeval  times.''  In  such  a  *^ psychological  cli- 
mate" it  is  impossible  to  engage  in  work  that  is 
definitely  constructive  and  which  can  bear  fruit 
in  all-round  character  and  deeply  moving  conduct. 
The  effect  of  all  this  is  seen  in  the  life  and  in- 
fluence of  the  church. 

One  of  the  first  questions  which  demands  thor- 
ough thinking -bears  on  church  unity.  The  church 
is  called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  itself,  not  to 
enemies,  but  to  friends.  Those  who  are  persuaded 
that  the  church  offers  the  unique  means  of  bring- 
ing blessing  to  mankind  feel  that  its  power  is 
weakened  by  the  blight  of  sectarianism.  The  out- 
standing principle  of  Protestantism  is  the  free- 
dom of  the  individual.  The  attempt  to  consecrate 
the  intrinsic  worth  of  personality  has,  however, 
resulted  in  an  excessive  individualistic  emphasis, 
which  has  become  an  obsession  in  many  deplorable 
instances.  Room  has  assuredly  been  made  for 
individual  initiative,  but  the  social  boundaries 
within  which  this  independence  should  be  prac- 
tised has  often  been  overlooked.     Consequently, 


i6o  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

irresponsible  persons  have  done  violence  to  the 
social  nexus  which  binds  all  believers  together, 
and  have  neutralised  the  testimony  of  the  church 
by  the  misery  of  divisions,  which  are  as  petty 
and  provincial  as  they  are  selfish  and  self-willed. 
One  of  the  inevitable  but  disastrous  results  has 
been  the  one-sided  presentation  of  the  whole  coun- 
sel of  God.  '*It  is  more  or  less  of  a  scandal,*' 
says  Bishop  McDowell,  **that  we  have  preached 
the  partial  truth.  And  we  are  paying  the  penalty 
for  it.  If  we  do  not  do  better,  we  must  face  the 
permanent  alienation  and  loss  of  countless  men 
from  Christ's  ranks.  We  cannot  touch  all  life 
unless  we  use  all  of  Christ's  truth."  People  will 
give  their  adherence  and  confidence  only  to  *  ^  that 
church,  free  or  bond,  which  has  most  of  the  power, 
the  future,  the  authority  and  the  liberty  which  are 
in  the  Christ  of  the  apostles  and  of  the  church." 
It  can  come  about  only  by  a  union  of  forces,  made 
possible  by  whole-souled  sacrifice.  As  I  have 
stated  in  ''The  Faith  and  the  Fellowship" :  ''This 
implies  a  spirit  of  enthusiasm  which  must  be 
kindled  at  Calvary,  if  it  is  to  be  profitably  effec- 
tual. With  it  must  also  go  the  conviction  of  the 
urgent  need  of  the  world  for  Christ,  and  of  the 
spiritual  waste  of  duplicating  effort  for  the  sake 
of  maintaining  an  institution  and  not  of  redeem- 
ing society." 

The  purpose  of  the  Protestant  reformers  was 
to  supplant  ecclesiastical  authority  by  that  of  the 


Thinking  Through  i6i 

educated  and  enlightened  Christian  consciousness, 
which  is  a  living  thing,  flexible  and  progressive, 
and  marked  by  candour  and  integrity.  But  they 
became  lost  in  a.  sea  of  fog  and  did  not  think  out 
the  implications  of  this  freedom  of  the  Spirit.  So 
they  compromised  by  placing  reliance  on  the 
authority  of  the  Bible.  A  book  thus  took  the 
place  of  an  organisation.  The  damage  wrought 
was  not  due  to  the  fact  that  the  Book  of  God  was 
made  the  court  of  appeal,  but  that  its  living  mes- 
sage was  qualified,  modified  and  limited  by  a  cast- 
iron  theory  of  inspiration  and  revelation.  These 
leaders  failed  to  recognise  that  the  Bible  came  out 
of  experience  and  is  the  chronicle  of  the  dealings 
of  the  living  God  with  living  men,  concerned  in 
concrete  matters.  It  must  not  be  regarded  as  a 
set  of  dogmatic  propositions  with  a  theological 
bias,  but  a  recital  of  happenings  with  a  religious 
interest.  The  researches  of  Biblical  scholars  have 
further  been  discredited  because  their  work  has 
tended  to  discount  the  traditional  method  of 
appeal  to  proof-texts,  in  favour  of  the  rational 
appeal  to  the  historical  perspective,  in  the  pro- 
gressive unfolding  of  the  will  of  God,  ^'by  divers 
portions  and  in  divers  manners."  The  final  word 
is  not  to  be  had  from  quotations,  but  from  the 
facts  of  life.  A  lamentable  illustration  of  the 
confused  thinking  on  this  subject  is  given  in  **A 
Student  in  Arms,"  by  Donald  Hankey.  He  pays 
a  high  tribute  to  the  unselfishness  and  charity  of 


1 62  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

the  men  in  the  trenches,  but  goes  on  to  point  out 
that  the  average  Tommy,  who  before  the  war  was 
a  workingman,  does  not  associate  such  virtues 
with  Christianity.  ^*He  thinks  that  Christianity 
consists  in  believing  the  Bible  and  setting  up  to 
be  better  than  your  neighbours.  By  believing  the 
Bible  he  means  believing  that  Jonah  was  swal- 
lowed by  the  whale.  By  setting  up  to  be  better 
than  your  neighbours,  he  means  not  drinking,  not 
swearing  and  preferably  not  smoking,  being  close- 
fisted  with  your  money,  avoiding  the  companion- 
ship of  doubtful  characters  and  refusing  to  ac- 
knowledge that  such  have  any  claim  upon  you'' 
(page  109).  What  a  parody  on  the  Christianity 
of  the  New  Testament !  What  a  reflection  on  the 
religious  education  of  the  Sunday  school  and  the 
pulpit!  With  such  a  premium  on  ignorance,  we 
must  not  be  surprised  that  church  people  have 
become  so  easy  a  prey  to  every  fantastic  cult, 
ingenious  enough  to  wrest  the  Scriptures  to  its 
own  advantage  and  to  the  religious  undoing  of 
its  unwitting  perverts.  We  must  have  conse- 
crated courage  to  resist  the  temptation,  common 
to  both  clergy  and  laity,  ^'to  substitute  the  cheap 
guess  for  the  costly  certainty,  the  easy  evasion 
for  the  expensive  solution  of  a  hard  problem.'' 
We  must  discountenance  the  holding  of  second- 
hand opinions  which  are  surely  not  convictions. 
Such  a  practice,  moreover,  is  not  only  a  form  of 
mental  indolence ;  it  is  also  an  ethical  lapse  which 


Thinking  Through  163 

cannot  fail  to  dull  the  conscience,  to  cloud  the 
vision,  to  enervate  the  will  and  to  spoil  the 
character. 

When  the  reformers  abolished  the  confessional 
with  its  attendant  evils,  no  provision  was  made 
for  personal  guidance  in  the  religious  life.  To 
be  sure,  the  pastoral  office  has  always  been  sup- 
posed to  discharge  this  function  and  there  are 
pastors  whose  ministry  in  this  direction  has  been 
beneficial.  But  as  a  matter  of  fact,  this  import- 
ant phase  of  pastoral  service  is  inadequately 
performed.  It  is  arduous  and  exacting;  it 
requires  a  familiarity  with  the  best  Christian 
thought  and  a  sympathetic  knowledge  of  human 
life  in  its  multitudinous  phases  of  need.  One  of 
the  best  parts  of  **A  Spiritual  Pilgrimage,''  by 
E.  J.  Campbell,  is  where  he  recounts  his  experi- 
ence in  dealing  with  enquirers  at  the  City  Temple, 
London.  *^It  is  wonderful,"  he  writes,  **how  few 
people  there  are  in  the  world  to  whom  we  can  open 
our  hearts  freely,  how  few  to  whom  we  would  dare 
to  humiliate  ourselves  by  admission  of  weakness 
and  failure,  how  few  to  listen  and  understand'' 
(page  159).  Souls  *4n  wandering  mazes  lost" 
querulously  look  around  for  help  and  not  finding 
it  go  astray  and  make  spiritual  wreckage  of  their 
lives.  Of  course,  some  of  the  enquiries  tend  to 
casuistry  and  purposeless  quibbling;  but  there  are 
more  cases  than  otherwise  of  **  personal  distress 
and  melancholy  despair,"  which  must  be  given 


164  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

direction.  Some  religious  journals  conduct  a 
correspondence  column,  which  is  in  the  nature  of 
a  Protestant  confessional.  Its  character  can  be 
judged  from  *^ Christian  Counsel/'  by  David 
Smith,  and  ^* Problems  and  Perplexities,''  by  W. 
E.  Orchard.  These  two  volumes  contain  material 
that  originally  appeared  in  The  British  Weekly 
and  The  Christian  Commonwealth.  They  are 
very  suggestive  to  those  who  would  fulfil  their 
pastoral  stewardship. 

When  we  talk  of  relationships  we  are  at  once 
confronted  by  the  modern  problem  of  democracy. 
This  ideal  recognises  the  rights  of  the  individual 
without  overlooking  his  personal  responsibilities. 
Faith  in  man  is  of  the  essence  of  a  true  democracy. 
It  implies  courage  to  accept  the  truth  that  every 
man  is  entitled  to  the  right  of  life,  liberty  and  the 
pursuit  of  happiness;  and,  moreover,  that  it  is 
incumbent  on  each  one  to  help  every  other  in  a 
spirit  of  consideration  and  co-operation.  It  is  not 
the  policy  of  live-and-let-live,  but  the  Christian 
policy  of  *^live-and-help-live"  that  must  govern 
all  who  espouse  this  ideal.  **A  democracy  must 
be  tempered,"  writes  Croly,  ^* first  of  all  by  and 
for  action.  Yet  if  it  cannot  combine  thought  with 
action,  discussion  with  decision,  criticism  with 
resolution,  a  searching  inquisitiveness  with  a 
tenacious  faith,  it  cannot  avoid  going  seriously 
astray.  Democracy  must  risk  its  success  on  the 
integrity  of  human  nature. ' '    Here  is  the  crux  of 


Thinking  Through  165 

the  modem  social  question.  It  has  to  do  not 
only  with  economic  and  social  readjustments,  but 
chiefly  with  a  spiritual  attitude  of  life.  We  must 
acknowledge  that  we  are  our  brother  ^s  keeper, 
whatever  his  racial  or  religious  traditions  may  be. 
In  a  discerning  discussion  of  ^'The  Principle  of 
Nationalities,'^  Israel  Zangwill  states  that,  ^'The 
brotherhood;  of  the  peoples  is  not  barred  by  the 
plurality  of  patriotisms.  It  takes  two  men  to 
make  one  brother.  Internationalism,  so  far  then 
from  being  the  antithesis  of  Nationalism,  actually 
requires  nations  to  interrelate"  (page  98).  Those 
who  desire  to  look  further  into  this  question  will 
find  food  for  thought  in  two  volumes  by  Doctor 
James  A.  Macdonald.  One  is  **  Democracy  and 
the  Nations,''  the  other  consists  of  the  Cole  lec- 
tures on  ^'The  North  American  Idea."  In  the 
latter  he  declares :  ^^  Where  slavery,  serfdom,  caste 
prevail,  the  foundation  of  democracy,  the  sense  of 
personal  right  and  obligation,  the  sense  of  the  citi- 
zenship of  all  men,  which  allows  to  others  the 
liberty  we  claim  for  ourselves,  is  never  secured. 
Democracy  is  a  process,  not  even  to-day  an  accom- 
plished fact,  an  evolution,  not  a  fulfilment  attained 
in  any  past  stage  of  the  world's  history"  (page 
214).  Some  of  the  results  achieved  by  the  prac- 
tice of  the  spirit  of  socialised  democracy  are  given 
in  a  recent  volume,  entitled,  ^^Sons  of  Italy,"  by 
Antonio  Mangano,  published  by  the  Missionary 
Education  Movement.     Here  then  is  the  real  basis 


1 66  Essentials  of  Evangelism 

of  the  missionary  enterprise.  The  purpose  of 
Christian  missions  is  to  transform  the  individual 
as  well  as  his  surroundings.  The  spirit  that 
impels  us  to  undertake  and  support  it  is  the  love 
of  man  as  man,  in  order  that  every  man,  woman 
and  child  might  enjoy  the  higher  benefits  through 
Jesus  Christ.  *  *  For  our  gospel  is  not  the  survival 
of  the  fit,  but  the  revival  of  the  unfit.''  So  said 
C.  Silvester  Home  in  his  glowing  book,  **The 
Eomance  of  Preaching. ' '  But  if  the  converts  are 
penned  in  by  themselves  and  not  permitted  the 
freedom  of  fellowship,  because  forsooth  they  be- 
long to  a  different  nationality,  then  we  practically 
reopen  the  controversy  which  was  decidedly 
settled  by  the  Apostolic  Church,  when  Jew  and 
Gentile  were  received  on  terms  of  absolute  equal- 
ity, and  when  the  racial  and  social  discriminations 
of  an  unregenerate  world  were  wholly  set  aside. 
Any  disparity  that  we  accept  is  a  virtual  dispar- 
agement of  the  New  Testament  ideal  and  experi- 
ence. By  what  right  do  we  discriminate  against 
those  who  enjoy  the  benefits  of  the  life  that  is 
hid  with  Christ  in  God?  Can  it  be  that  they  are 
acceptable  to  the  Lord  Christ,  but  not  to  us  ?  On 
whose  authority  do  we  establish  a  double  standard 
which  contradicts  the  very  genius  of  Christianity? 
The  melting  pot  has  reached  the  boiling  point.  If 
the  lid  is  not  speedily  removed,  it  will  boil  over 
and  do  damage.  To  use  another  figure  suggested 
by  Bishop  Williams  in  his   outspoken  volume, 


Thinking  Through  167 

*^The  Christian  Ministry  and  Social  Problems," 
instead  of  perpetually  mopping  up  the  floor,  let 
us  turn  off  the  spigot  (page  QQ), 

Is  it  not  because  we  have  turned  away  from 
the  central  issues  of  the  Christian  life  that  we 
feel  ourselves  spiritually  powerless  as  churches? 
Principal  Forsyth  once  put  the  case  in  his  char- 
acteristic way  when  he  said  that  the  ancient 
prophet  answered  the  summons  with,  **Here  am 
IV ^  while  his  modern  successor  looks  up  with  con- 
fusion and  dismay,  and  asks,  *^ Where  am  IV ^ 
The  title  of  one  of  President  H.  C.  King's  most 
helpful  books  is  *^The  Seeming  Unreality  of  the 
Spiritual  Life.''  The  phrase  is  significant.  It  is 
largely  because  we  have  faced  our  problems  in  a 
purely  academic  fashion  and  apart  from  life, 
theoretically  and  not  with  the  scientific  test  of 
experiment  and  experience,  that  we  find  ourselves 
in  so  much  of  a  dilemma.  But  the  perplexity  is 
itself  a  challenge  to  us  to  bend  under  the  yoke  in 
a  spirit  of  heroic  consecration.  What  Professor 
Peabody  said  of  the  social  question  applies  to 
every  question :  *  ^  It  cannot  be  fought  through,  or 
crowded  through,  or  blundered  through;  it  must 
be  thought  through. ' '  Thus  only  shall  we  be  pre- 
pared for  the  demands  which  press  upon  us  for 
attention  and  which  summon  us  to  action  in  the 
name  of  Christ,  that  in  all  things  he  might  have 
the  pre-eminence. 


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